50 First Kisses
by Kassandra21
Summary: C'mon kiss the girl already! A series of moments suitable for Tea and Atem's first kiss in the original storyline...
1. Kiss 1 The Date (Part A)

Author's note: Well this is my first story so please be gentle… I am a huge fan of the Atem x Tea pairing so this is what the story revolves around. . I have to say I am one of the most faithful fans of the original Yu-Gi-Oh, and definitely not the GX and 5D's seasons. Not at all. Hate 'em. Sorry. But what I hate even more is the way they ended this story. Loose ends all over the place, confusing storyline and lack of closure on many subjects, mainly romances (see: Atem&Tea and Joey&Mai mostly, but also they could have used Kissara a little bit more, I mean she died pretty soon after her appearance…). What concerns me more is that the show could have all sorts of violence: beating up, insults, taunting, man eating beasts, doomsday demented supervillains that wanted to destroy or take over the world etc (which are fine by me btw) but there couldn't be a kiss? Not one lousy kiss?! I mean dudes, there was definitely some romantic tension in the air, but no kiss… Ok it was a kids' show and all, but people romance is for the young… So I am stepping in to correct this insufficiency, for one of the aforementioned couples at least, for now. My story consists of several moments in the original story line where a kiss between Tea and Atem could have occurred without actually disturbing the whole plot. I am using dialogues and facts from the actual episodes where this could have happened, adding of course my own twist and enhancing them with the thoughts and feelings of the characters, that we could see but not hear…Each story is separate from the other, they are on chronological order and each time you read a chapter you should assume the kiss described in the previous chapter hasn't occurred. I must mention that I was inspired with the idea for this story by a certain you-tube video called _Kiss the Girl - Yami and Tea Tribute _(I cannot find it on youtube any longer T_T, but I have to give the credit :P). The moments were right but that kiss never came…Also the title is inspired by one of the sweetest movies I've ever seen called "50 First Dates" starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. Check it out, if you haven't. Anyway, enough blabbing, on to the first story…I enjoyed writing it, I hope you enjoy reading it. And you know what to do: Read and Review!

**First Kiss No 1: Episode 53. "The date" (Part A) **_(__Actual tile__: Steppin' out)_

**A/N: Ok background time. On that episode is the first time Atem and Tea are alone and for quite some time if I made add. They are actually on a date that Yugi arranged for them so that Tea would help Atem find out about his past (In the Japanese version they refer to it as a date too)… Now that was an opportunity…Well, there are actually two moments suitable for a kiss in this episode but I'm describing the second one in another chapter. I actually refer to Atem as The Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle, cause that's how they knew him back then and I am staying true to the original storyline. Plus I change POV'S but it's quite obvious because I have separated them with lines. Sometimes they change unexpectedly. I hope it's not confusing. If it is, just review and I will fix it in the next chapters. Finally, I think my English is pretty sharp, but since it is not my native language, please forgive any mistakes I make, they probably won't be big ones ^_^. This first kiss is divided in two parts because I wanted to describe the story before the date and elaborate on the date a little so the word count was huge for just one chapter. I will be posting both chapters so I guess it's ok *angelface*. This is really emotional *sob*, my first chapter of my first story ever. Here it goes.**

**P.S.: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the characters, or the storyline to most it's extent, I just use them as fan fiction elements. Had I been the owner things would be reeeeally different *wink*. ENJOY!**

"Will it ever stop raining?" Tea was watching the pouring rain, with a feeling of discomfort, thinking there was no way she would get home from school without getting soaked in the process, and she had really done a good job on her hairstyle this morning.

Although it was nice to be back in her daily routine, after all that had happened the past few days, she couldn't help being somewhat concerned about the possible dangers and misfortunes that might await the gang, especially Yugi, and…_him_, the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle. As she was pondering in these thoughts, she heard Yugi's gentle voice.

"Tea." His call brought her back to reality and she turned around to greet him with a smile.

"Hey. How's it going Yugi?" she asked him kindly.

"Not so great…" he answered with his eyes facing the wooden floor. He seemed really pensive and that made Tea realize his thoughts could not be far from hers. Apparently, he feared for the future as well, especially after that weirdo Keith Bandit's attempt to steal his Puzzle…

"Actually I need your help.." Yugi continued, waking Tea from her daydreaming once more.

"And so does the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle..". Yugi's last sentence really caught Tea's attention, as it kind of had a strange tone.

"Oh…"she mumbled. Her expression changed, her eyes narrowed showing genuine interest. She was very intrigued.

/_What could he possibly need my help for?_ / She thought to herself.

/_He's probably one of the strongest people I know…_/ Then she turned her focus on Yugi again.

"Aha" she nodded to him to continue.

"You see, whoever it was that stole the Puzzle, seemed to know a lot about it' s past. That reminded the Spirit how little _he_ knows about it." he was looking down during those last words and he appeared really concerned about the Spirit. Suddenly his face turned lighter as he looked up to Tea.

"But you can help" he said, his innocent eyes shining with hope.

"Hanging out with you might make him feel better", his voice had that strange tone again, or was it just _her imagination_?

Whatever it was, the idea of spending time with _him_ made her heart beat a little bit faster, but she contained it. After all how could she actually hang out with a _spirit_? But she didn't want to wipe that hopeful smile off Yugi's face.

"Sure" she answered looking a bit puzzled, "But how exactly am I gonna do that?". As soon as she finished her question Yugi turned and looked at her with admiration.

"You always have great ideas! Just talk to him!" he said in a singing tone as he stormed out in the rain. Tea stood there speechless, watching him go.

Finally she got herself together and asked him "So what's the plan?".

"Ten o'clock tomorrow at Domino Station. Thanks Tea!" Yugi yelled with enthusiasm. He was acting as if he had accomplished an important task and was ecstatic about it. As his figure vanished around the corner Tea, still not having realized what had happened, she yelled back at him "No problem..".

"I just really hope I can help…"she thought out loud.

Then, _it_ suddenly _dawned on her_…What she had just agreed to… It took her a little time to figure it out and put it all together, Yugi's strange tone, his admiration talk, his triumphant announcement of the _time and place_… Time and place! Tea could feel her whole body burning up now, despite the cold and the rain… She was feverish…

/_Could this be… Could it?_/ Had Yugi just arranged a…_date_ for her and the Spirit?

"Oh my God" she whispered somewhat terrified. She had unconsciously started walking in the rain… She looked hypnotized and she didn't seem to notice the water that was now pouring on her, messing up her appearance, something that she dreaded only minutes ago. Now it was as if she couldn't think of anything else but the date… A date with _him_.

She had actually dreamt about him the night before. They were somewhere in Egypt, just the two of them, and he was ascending a big stone staircase towards what looked like a temple or _tomb_ of some kind. That dream had caused her to wake up in sweat, as she run after him and he seemed to drift farther away. It was a scary dream, that in her mind could only be interpreted by a possible _separation_ from him… But this turnout, she did not expect. They were actually about to get closer, really closer… The thought of getting closer to him gave her a strange feeling in the stomach, much like…anticipation…

/_No Tea! Stop being stupid and delusional_/ she scolded herself. She had for long tried to detach herself from those thoughts… She could even describe them as feelings… Feelings about the strange dark presence that was always there to give Yugi courage and keep _her_ from harm…Like a guardian angel…But he was just a Spirit…And it was silly, to say the least, to think of him _that_ way…No she couldn't…she shouldn't feel that way… She had promised herself she would forget about the strange emotions that had built up inside her during Duelist Kingdom The racing heartbeat, the rush, the blushing that crossed her cheeks every time the Spirit took over a duel, the despair she felt at that last duel with Pegasus, when she thought _he_ might lose... No. It was just the fear of losing her closest friend, Yugi, that had led her to that weird attitude…Or was it? Then why was she so stressed about tomorrow? Why was she constantly thinking about what she was going to wear and what she was going to say when she met him?

"Oh man here I go again…" she thought out loud. But a furious cry stopped her train of thoughts…_Thank god.._

"Tea Gardener what on earth is going on?" her mother appeared right in front of her looking completely demented…

"Are you ill or something? You are soaking wet and you're talking to yourself!" her mother's face was now less tense and she sounded worried. Tea snapped out of her trance only to see that she was now standing on the front door of her house dripping with rain water…

/_Wow, when did I get here?/_she thought, only for her wondering to be interrupted again by Mrs Gardener.

"Cm' on squirrel, let's get you out of those wet clothes and warmed up…Dinner's waiting" her mother now sounded most comforting. She could probably tell that something was on Tea's mind but she didn't feel like pushing her to talk about it.

/_Yeah, mothers sure know about those things…/_ Tea thought and let her mind slip from her previous worries.

...

The sun had barely risen when Yugi jumped off his bed in a rush. It seemed like he had washed his face and brushed his teeth in mere seconds. Then he concentrated on fixing his hair. It was not so easy a task after all…

/_This must be really important to him_/, thought the Spirit of the Puzzle and decided to come out and keep him some company. For some reason Yugi had been acting quite strangely since the past evening. The Spirit had sensed his anxiety and had asked him if everything was alright, when he finally got to bed.

"Everything's just fine!" he replied full of excitement.

"Now let's get some rest, because I have a big surprise for you tomorrow morning.." he mumbled before starting to snooze on his pillow.

/_What could he have meant…?/_ the Spirit wondered…

As he came round from last night's memory, he noticed that Yugi had spread almost half his closet on his bed and was trying outfits in front of a mirror.

"I have a feeling today is gonna be awesome!" he said with his most excited tone of voice.

"If I can figure out what to wear we can get going" he said somewhat confused as he looked over to the clothes that were lying all on the bed.

/_I have to look pretty sharp_/ he thought to himself..

/_It might be his spirit, but he will be in my body, so my appearance counts…_/. Yugi was now even more excited. He really wanted to help the Spirit find out about his past and Tea was the right one for the job. Plus, he couldn't help but notice the interest they seemed to express for one another… Quite delicate and concealed interest, mostly, but let's not forget, Yugi and the Spirit were too close for him to have missed it. So who better to help him unwind his memories than someone who cared about him as much as Tea did? Those were Yugi's reasons for setting up this date for Tea and the Spirit. A date… Now he was blushing a little bit… The Spirit noticed it and was really intrigued as he remembered what Yugi said last night.

"Tell me Yugi, what's this big surprise?" he asked seemingly unexpressed. Yugi didn't fall for it.

"Well, if I told you then it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?" he answered playfully.

"No, I guess not." The Spirit wasn't quite satisfied with the answer and tried reading his mind.

"Hey there don't go cheating, that's not your style" Yugi said as he had conceived the Spirit's plan.

"Uhhhm.. sorry Yugi. You're right.." he said with an expression of embarrassment covering his face.

"But I still have many riddles to unlock. I don't have time for surprises" he pointed, trying to sound as less disappointing as possible. Yugi was too excited about whatever that was and he didn't want to ruin it for him. However he couldn't rest until he had actually found out at least something about his past. That man, Shaadi had really hit a nerve when he had entered his mind back in Pegasus' tower. Now he was more intrigued than ever to discover who he really was and what was happening to him… Being trapped inside a pyramid shaped puzzle wasn't exactly normal now was it?

"Don't worry, what I've got planned is going to help" Yugi winked.

...

Tea had been standing in front of Domino station for about five minutes. She had woken up unexpectedly unstressed this morning. No worries what so ever. Her stomach was tied up like a knot, but she hadn't let it get to her.

"Well, Tea, no weird thoughts. You're gonna pull this off no matter what. This is NOT a date" she had told herself full of determination as she combed her hair in front of the mirror. She had cast out every thought of it as she was getting ready. She tried not to think about what she would wear or what she would say.

/_Whatever comes_/ she thought. She had skipped breakfast so her stomach was growling, only to her notice thankfully. However relaxed she had been so far, she had probably hit her time limit of coolness. She started feeling anxious and the anticipation was getting to her.

/_How am I gonna help the Spirit figure out his past_/ she doubted herself.

/_I mean. I know a little bit about the Millennium Puzzle, but what can I tell him about it that he doesn't already know?/_ she questioned herself again, trying not to think anything further than her task: To help the Spirit learn about his past. But no matter how hard she was trying she couldn't help but noticing her heart beating crazy and her palms getting ice cold as she waited for him to show up. Sure, he looked just like Yugi, but there was a strange change, not only in his face, -he certainly didn't have Yugi's puppy eyes, his gaze was breathtaking- but also in his overall appearance. He looked like a taller and stronger guy than Yugi.

/_Uhmmm..Why am I thinking about this? This is way too much pressure!/_ she gasped on the inside. As she was shaking that thought off her head, Yugi appeared around the corner.

...

"Ready or not Spirit, this is where you take over" Yugi said softly, with a huge grin covering his face. The Millennium Puzzle shone for a brief moment and the Spirit was driven out of it without a previous warning. He found himself standing in a crowded road while seconds ago he was still in his soul room and he was taken by surprise, to say the least. He snapped.

"Hey Yugi.. I'm not.. What..? You can't… This isn't a duel..!". Suddenly, he noticed Tea looking at him all confused. He took a moment to notice her. She looked incredibly beautiful.

/_As always../_ he thought. She was wearing red shorts and a yellow tube top that revealed her flawless abs and legs, under a light pink coat and she had that cute red band around her neck.

/_Wow_/ he thought, only to be interrupted by himself_. _

_/Oh no! What's happening to me? Why am I thinking that? And why on earth do I remember that red band? She's only like, worn it once before!/_. Realizing that he probably looked weird, he straightened himself and greeted her, trying to put on his famous poker face and also trying to ignore the great impact her sight had on him. He was good at that somehow.

"Hello." he said with no particular expression on his face.

"Hi!" Tea replied. "Let's go grab a milkshake. I kinda skipped breakfast and I'm starving" she said.

"Sure" he answered politely, still expressionless though.

/_What?! Did I just tell him I'm starving?! Oh dear, I'm a done deal at messing up_/ she scolded herself. As they walked toward the diner, they both looked sunk in their own thoughts, avoiding to make eye contact.

...

The Spirit sat close to the window, and looked outside with a very pensive look on his face. His eyes were darker than usual, like they were covered by a strange shadow and his whole face was frowning with distress.

/_He seems to have a lot on his mind_/ Tea noticed. She was actually worried and was now set to comfort him.

/_I hope I can help/_ she thought sipping awkwardly at her milkshake.

_/Well here it goes/_, she decided to break the silence.

"Hey here's something we can do. The ancient Egypt exhibit!" she tried to sound as much unworried as she could. She even added a little enthusiasm to her voice. His expression changed instantly.

"Huh..Now _that_ could be interesting Tea" he said eventually.

Well, she had definitely caught his attention. Plus he had also said her name, something that had always made her feel strangely flattered. There was something about the tone of his voice when he called for her. No one could make those three letters sound like _he_ did. She shivered for a moment, but shook it away immediately.

"Aha" she mumbled. "And check this stone" she added with new found enthusiasm, while pointing on an image of the magazine she was holding.

"It has the same symbol as the Millennium Puzzle. Call me crazy but this exhibit's gotta help us find out about your past!" Now she was on a roll. But what was that on his face? Doubt or… disappointment? Her enthusiasm faded on the spot. Had she made things worse?

"Ooor..we could do something else instead. If you don't wanna see the exhibit...It's only up to you" she tried to sound encouraging. But his face was still kinda distressed…

/_Oh no, why does he look so sad… Not that it's not part of his charm…_/ she almost smiled to that last thought but then she felt like kicking the crap out of herself.

/_The man is apparently in great confusion and all I can think is that he looks cute? Shame on me!/_ now she was embarrassed, but she managed to conceal it. After all, _he_ was still staring at the void…

...

_/What if it doesn't lead anywhere? What if it's a dead end? What if I never find out who I really am?_/. The Spirit's mind had been pondering over those thoughts since they had sat on that diner's table. He was completely sunk in them until Tea mentioned the exhibit and snapped him out of it.

/_Egypt_/ he _thought /that's what this man Shaadi, had mentioned as well… Could that be the key to unlocking my past memories? Or is it just a decoy? A random guess?/_ he was pretty distressed again…Then he noticed that he'd gotten Tea quite worried. She tried to hide it but he could tell… She frowned her lips on the right a little bit when she was concerned.

_/Oh, no, useless minor details again.. Why do I notice these things about her? I don't seem to do so about anyone else…/._ He shook it off and focused on comforting her.

"Please, you must forgive me Tea" he finally uttered, examining closely his hand, no obvious reason.

"Lately I feel like a stranger to myself. There are so many details about who I am and where I came from, that I can't seem to remember". It was the truth. This lack of memories previous to his awakening by Yugi was driving him slowly mad. Suddenly he heard Tea's soothing voice.

"Well, maybe we should start with the things that you do remember" she sounded optimistic enough to convince him to give it at least a try.

"I know my origins lie in ancient Egypt and I now reside within the Millennium Puzzle, but that's pretty much it." He sounded more disappointed than he would've wanted to. But Tea seemed to be interested.

"Yeah..?" she said encouraging him to continue.

"When Yugi first put the puzzle together and our bond begun, it was as if my spirit was..reborn" his tongue was loosened now.

"What do you mean by that?" his last statement had confused her a bit.

"Since that day I've felt that I'm here for a reason and destiny brought me to Yugi to accomplish something of great importance" he finally opened up.

"Since the puzzle was almost taken away from us, that feeling grew stronger. Maybe the key to understanding why I am here, lies in my past" he couldn't believe how relieving it was to talk to her.

"Well if it makes you feel any better I'm going through the same thing" she surprised him.

"My situation is not exactly the same, but I'm not sure what my future holds either" she was making a brave attempt to show compassion. Or so he thought…

"I see" he said not completely convinced. But she continued speaking with determination.

"So for now I'm just going to listen to my heart and see where that takes me, and my heart's telling me to become a dancer" saying that last word her eyes glimmered with passion.

"That's great Tea" he wanted to encourage her. What he was facing was an incredibly determined Tea. He felt admiration for her now. She was a lot stronger than most people thought. He was a little proud of her, even.

"And who knows, maybe dancing isn't for me but I'll never know unless I try" she touched the ground again "I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't' look at the unknown as your enemy, see it as an adventure!" She was totally luminous! He was struck by a strange feeling in his stomach as she got up and shouted.

"Alright, I totally just inspired myself! Let's go see what the world has in store for us today!". All that excitement made her look even cuter…If that was possible. He felt a little heat wave hitting his entire body, mostly his face as he realized he actually likes her! A lot. After the first time he had held her in his arms, and mostly after Duelist Kingdom , his affections toward her was become stronger and stronger. He had found himself unconsciously thinking about her many times as he rested in his soul room. All these feelings where new and confusing to him, so he tried to pay less attention to them; he tried to control himself...Another thing he was good at.. But whenever he laid eyes upon her, he felt a little more helpless against those emotions. _/Oh dear/_ he thought /_Here it goes_/. He tried to shake the thought off as she grabbed his arm and started running towards the street.

"So where are we going now?' he asked ready to completely succumb to her will.

"Wherever we're inspired to go" she answered with that irresistible smile covering her face and her sapphire blue eyes shining with excitement.

...

For the next two hours they walked around the city and had fun like normal teenagers. That's what they were after all. Teenagers that is, because no one could call them normal…

It actually felt good. The Spirit realized that normal life was really something. Especially when you get to spend time with someone you really care about… Yes, now he was trying a little less hard to hold back. They were just having fun after all. Nothing weird or awkward had happened. And hopefully nothing would…Or would it now? As they were wandering the streets of Domino city, he noticed a game shop.

"Look Tea, players can trade their dueling cards in here" he sounded really interested in it.

"Congratulations" she said in a playful tone, "This must be your lucky day!", she had loosened up also. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all…

They entered the shop and the spirit gained a newfound enthusiasm. He was checking the cards all around making remarks and suggestions about which ones would best fit in his deck.

But all Tea could think about was how he seemed to be cheering up. After all his distress and disappointment, she was really happy to see him react to something with a little bit of excitement. He seemed a lot more relaxed to her. Unlike his usual, dark, faceless self. He was actually smiling at times, and he made comments on how good she looked, something that made Tea melt to her feet, although she didn't admit it, not even to herself. She was focusing all her energy on the fun. Date, or no date, they were having a really great time with each other and she wanted to cherish that. As they were walking side by side, the Spirit talking about the great cards he had traded and trying to get her more interested in duel monsters, Tea made a sudden suggestion.

" Let's hit the arcade" and she didn't wait for an answer.

...

**A/N: Ok the date seems to be going well huh? Well, most of you know what's coming next so just flip the page :P**


	2. Kiss1 The Date (Part B)

**A/N: This is the final part of the first, first kiss of Tea and Atem… (The title of the story is such a spoiler :3). Tea and "the Spirit" have just entered the arcade.**

**First Kiss No 1: Episode 53. "The date" (Part B) **[Actual tile: Steppin' out]

"Wow this place is so big!" Tea noted, sounding quite impressed by the site. The arcade room was actually huge, full of game stations and arenas all the way to their eyesight. The Spirit didn't seem that impressed though.

However Tea's attitude was really amusing to him so he added "Yes it is quite impressive".

Even though he wouldn't have expected it, those last few hours, his thoughts had completely drifted from discovering his past and finding out about his destiny. All he could now think about was what a great person Tea was. She had managed to put up with his bad mood and turn it completely upside down.

/_She really is something_ / he thought as he watched her get enthusiastic about all the little things around them. Her sparkling eyes made him smile unconsciously, as he fell deeper in his admiration for her. But righteous as he was he couldn't let go for much longer… He realized, _that_ was Tea, Yugi's friend… _his friend_…

/_Friend?_/ He felt a pinch in his chest…

/_What's wrong with me? Why am I so annoyed by that thought?_/. Of course deep down inside he knew the answer, but could not bring himself to admitting it. So he continued to indulge in his denial.

Then, he noticed that Tea's attention had been drawn to a large group of people, cheering a performance on what seemed to be a….dancing arena.

...

"Look! A dancing arena!" she shouted full of excitement. As her dream of becoming a dancer had actually turned into her life aspiration during the past few years, she found herself completely infatuated by everything that had to do even remotely with dancing. That dancing arena was like a dance floor waiting to be conquered by her… Then she realized.. Maybe _he_ wasn't so interested in that.. Maybe dancing _bored_ him to death…

/_Oh no. I couldn't bare that.._/ she thought desperately. Just as she was about to turn around and run away she noticed him walking closer to the arena, much to her surprise.

/_Well, I guess not../_ she answered her prior query. She moved near him. As she noticed him from behind, she found that he seemed to have a strange aura around him. Despite the spiky hair and teenage figure, he looked quite distinguished from the rest of the people inside the crowd. The way he stood, his proud look, made him look so different from Yugi, although he looked exactly like him.

/_A little taller maybe../_ she thought, a smile crossing her face.

Just at that moment, the person who seemed to be the star of this performance stepped on the arena. He was a tall dark skinned man with black dreadlocks that extended to his shoulders. He was wearing dancing clothes and his body looked like that of a dancer. He was slender and moved flexibly across the dance floor, acting all cocky and self confident. Tea actually admired him for a moment, before the crowd almost stomped on her in order to get closer and cheer for him.

"Johnny you're the man!",

"Where do you get those moves?"

"You're the king of the dancefloor Johnny", the crowd was frantic over him.

Suddenly she felt a hand grabbing her wrist and pulling her on the side. It was _him_. His grip was exactly what she remembered…Whatever she could remember from that blurry incident in that garage…When she first saw him… It was a strong, decisive, captivating hold, like shackles…/_Only, the type you don't really want to be freed from..._/ she sighed. He seemed to notice that and she completely blushed! Her cheeks turned practically tomato red…

/_Oh, no, now I'm all out in the open.._/ she thought.

/_Stupid Tea!_/. She could almost feel like crying, when he let go of her wrist and touched her shoulder gently…This was making things worse… Now her whole body was in volcanic temperature!

/_What an embarrassment… If he doesn't stop touching me I'll probably faint…_/ she thought being a bit over dramatic.

"I'm sorry if I grabbed you too hard, but I thought I'd lose you to the frenzied groupies if I didn't.." he said soflty.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you" he continued even softer.

/_What? He…He's apologizing? He thinks he hurt me?..._/ she thought to herself somewhat relieved.

/_He probably thinks I got all red because of the pain…Pfewwww../ _She reassured herself that she hadn't been exposed to him. But was that a good thing…?

...

As the spirit stared at the dancing arena trying to figure out the purpose for such a thing to be put in the arcade, he was startled by a running mob of people, pushing him away and running after this annoying dancer who had just defeated a boy, in what seemed to be a dancing contest of some kind.

As he watched Tea being pushed around by the group of Johnny's fans and drifting from his eyesight he got a little nervous. But he soon came round, as being nervous and scared wasn't exactly like him. With a decisive look in his eyes, he leapt towards the center of the crowd and grabbed Tea's hand firmly. He pulled her quickly aside and kept holding her tightly, until he realized her face had turned blood red!

/_Oh, no!_/He thought. /_I must have completely squashed her wrist…And I'm still doing so!_/ He let go of her hand abruptly being a little concerned he had used excessive force on her. Of course no one could tell since his expression didn't change at all. Then, with a move that surprised even himself he gently touched her shoulder and apologized for being so vulgar. She responded with a sigh of relief, though she was still pretty much burning up, not unlike him…

"Uhm…It's ok, it didn't hurt that much…You..just surprised me, that's all" she said kindly.

"I didn't mean to..I just…" he mumbled…

/_Am I at a loss for words?_/ he wondered as he failed to finish his sentence. The redness in her cheeks reappeared at his unfinished statement…

/_She looks so pretty when she blushes…_/ he thought. Now his cheeks felt a little warm as well. His whole existence was tortured by one question. /_Why did she blush? I probably know why I did…Could it be for the same reason?_/ he was unexpectedly delighted to the thought of a positive answer…

/_Could it be that Yugi arranged this meeting…for that reason?_/. Ok, now he was definitely blushing. Tea seemed to notice and gave him a half smile, like the ones she gave when she had something fishy on her mind… This wonderful moment was interrupted by the unbearable dancer's astounding voice.

...

"Who wants the honor of being Johnny Steps' next victim?" the dancer growled with a self indulging grin. That caught the attention of both Tea and the Spirit, as they both snapped out of their complete focus on one another.

"Some kind of dueling dance game?" he broke the awkward silence.

"Yeah! Sounds like a blast!" she uttered with a new found enthusiasm.

/_She really is taken in by dancing…_/ he thought, feeling a little jealous, that Tea had turned her attention to that creep with the weird hairdo. But then again, who was _he_ to talk about anyone's hairdo? His was even weirder…

"Huh" he sighed. He had kind of lost his confidence at that point. Something that almost never happened… What came next, was probably the final hit…

"Hey you, girl in the pink, are you feeling lucky today?" that Johnny dude yelled towards Tea.

/_What? Tea? She drew his attention? Not that he could help it.. Not that anyone could…/,_ just a look at her proved his point. He had now, started to feel really uncomfortable..

"Why don't we ignore him and go someplace else?" he asked Tea, hoping to get out of the situation as quickly as they could. But the response was definitely not what he expected...Not at all.

"No! This guy may have some flashy moves, Yugi, but not flashy enough to scare me." a completely determined Tea replied, and then she did something totally unexpected; She took her pink coat off in one move and threw it over to his hands..! He was absolutely stunned!

"What are you doing Tea?" he asked her, totally blown away…

"Having some fun" she shouted happily.

/_What is she doing? Why is she going on that dance floor with that guy? THAT…./_he almost screamed internally but he decided to keep it together considering it was eventually her choice… Of course that didn't mean _he_ liked it… Let alone she called him Yugi.. /_So I guess that's who I am to her…_/ he thought with a hint of sadness in his eyes.

"Come on let's go" Tea challenged Johnny.

/_Well she sure is determined_/ the spirit thought, as the feeling of admiration grew once again inside him.

"We go when I say we go!" Johnny answered rudely.

/_Oh, boy… This looks bad…_/ thought the Spirit, as the raging crowd was cheering Johnny, encouraging him to crash Tea on her feet.

"Why don't you back out now and save yourself some of the embarrassment?" the dancer growled with his cocky smile.

/_How much of a coward can this guy be? He was the one who challenged her and now he tells her to back out? Pffff!_/ the Spirit was upset now.

But his thoughts were interrupted by Tea's firm and confident answer "You're the one who's gonna be embarrassed" she said.

"Alright. You're gonna wish you never stepped on my stage. " he taunted her.

Her blue eyes started shinning in anger, the way they did every time someone did that to her. Tea was definitely not the girl that would put up with the bullies. Another quality he loved about her…

/_Love?... I meant admire…_./ he blushed again, but thankfully she couldn't see him. She was too busy giving that guy her angry look…

The Spirit didn't like that at all… He was gradually feeling his teenage hormones taking over… After all, he might have been in slumber for 5.000 years but now he was awake, and most importantly, in a teenage boy's body…That's gotta give… He was actually feeling jealous of the guy that Tea was about to…fight with. And why? Because he had her attention. Tea actually cared about defeating that obnoxious guy…

/_But isn't that supposed to be good? She can't be interested in that guy.. he's a clown_/ he reassured himself. But then, a cloud of doubt covered his eyes..

/_But he's a dancer…And a good one.. And Tea loves dancers… Oh no! Could she be trying to…impress him?_/. Ok that was it. If he continued with this train of thought he would probably flip. So he decided to try and focus on the dance floor. And right on time.

"Are you ready for me to step all over you? And after I teach you a lesson, we'll go on a date" Johnny yelled with a smirk.

/_WHAT DID HE JUST SAY?!_/It took all the spirit's courage not to jump on the arena and punch that guy in the face…/_He is just asking for it_/ he was furious and confused./If Tea goes out with that guy I'll just…/ "Ughhh" he growled, causing a few people from the crowd looking at him stunned. Fortunately for him, Tea didn't notice him pouting.

"Get a life Johnny" she answered plainly.

"It's time to dance" he yelled.

The arena lit up and a voice was heard coming from the computer "Start". Immediately after that, the music started playing. Johnny and Tea looked at each other with fiery eyes and the dance duel was on.

Not even the best literature artists, or the most talented songwriters and poets could have described what the Spirit witnessed those brief moments that the music was playing.. It was a miracle… When Tea started moving to the music, the whole room emptied in a second and all he could see was her.

His jaw dropped at the sight of her dancing. Her sparkling, eyes and her shimmering skin made the way her slender body was swaying through the music even more breathtaking…He was _actually_ short of breath…

/_She's an angel… She is the light of God…/_ his mind was completely off track now. His senses were mesmerized and he felt his body reacting really strangely to what was happening before his eyes. His blood was rushing through his veins, his skin was burning like he was attached to a heater and his heart pumped so fast he thought it was gonna pop out of his chest and start racing across the room. For some reason he could not determine, though, all this was causing no discomfort to him. On the contrary…he felt an odd satisfaction, a delirious joy, despite the physical stress.

What was that feeling? He sure knew what they called it, but…had he felt it before? Could he have ever felt in the past what he felt for Tea right now? And if he had…how could he have forgotten about it?

/_How does one forget such a feeling?_/he wondered. With that thought, his senses captured the delicate scent of fruit.. Strawberry…

/_What a sweet smell_/ he thought… He remembered Tea mentioning her obsession over strawberries once, in Duelist Kingdom…She had said it was her favorite thing in the whole world…The aroma was coming from Tea's coat…He was holding her coat..The coat that was covering her body only minutes ago…Suddenly the heating rush came back stronger and he felt like he couldn't contain himself anymore…

/_What is happening to me? Why can't I stop being like this? I gotta keep it together.. But..How can I?_/ he thought in kind of a desperate attempt to snap out of it. Then he turned his eyes back at the dance floor.

Despite that idiot's cowardly attempts to trip Tea into falling and eventually losing, she was totally trashing him. /_The queen of the dancefloor_/the Spirit thought, a grin appearing in his face.

The crowd was now cheering for Tea and Johnny seemed to have completely lost it as she was still in dancing trance, beating his ass every possible way. Now all the Spirit could do was wish for the music to stop, the contest to end and Tea to be getting away from that creep and closer to him. That was what he now wished for, more than finding about his past, or fulfilling his destiny. He wanted to get close to her… Funny thing was, he was pretty close to her all this time and still right now he felt as if it had been ages since the last time they were together.

/_When will all this finally end?_/ he had grown impatient. And in mere seconds his wish was granted, as if someone had been listening to his thoughts. /_Oh no, I hope Yugi hasn't been sneaking around_/ he thought getting a little worried, but he calmed himself on the spot /_Yugi would never do that_/. At this moment of clarity he scolded himself.

/_I have to get a grip..I can't keep acting like a teenager in heat…_/. All that went away, though, when Tea turned around and…winked at him! His knees felt weak and he thought he would crumble, but as the crowd cheered for Tea, he decided he would do so too.

"That's my Tea!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. That was the first thing that came out of his mouth…

...

/_Did he just say "my" Tea?!_/ she was swept off her feet. Not literally thank god…She had just overconfidently turned to him and winked, without any second thought given to that move. She was most obviously still under the hypnotizing influence of her triumph over Johnny Steps, the champion of this game. And who else would she share that overwhelming feeling with, but _him_…

After all, _he_ was the source of all this confidence and determination, _he_ was the one she wanted to impress /_oops,..._/_._ The idea of him looking at her and admiring her, gave her all the strength she needed to follow her dream of dancing… And now everybody cheered for her..That man, whoever he was, was giving her more than friendship, he was making her stronger. Just being around him made her fear nothing and she felt she had the ability to do and be anything she wanted. As long as _he_ was there cheering for her… Calling her "his Tea"…

After that, she noticed his face. There was an expression of…

/_Embarassment? Is he shy? Him?..._/. Her heart was pumping fast, as she was still trying to catch her breath from that intense dancing contest. Furthermore... she was trying to recover from his look…His crimson eyes were fixed upon her and even from afar, she could feel their magnetizing power.. It was as if he was calling for her…

/_I'm coming._./ she mentally answered his call… She started running across the arena and reached the small staircase that lead to the ground from where, she could finally get to him… But as soon as she stepped on the floor, the crowd surrounded her. Kids and teens were jumping toward her congratulating her on giving a lesson to Johnny.

"He sure needed one" she said self-confidently../_I was really good up there_/ she had a minor vanity moment but immediately came round.

/_What am I doing here…And where is he?_/ she started looking around anxiously..

The Spirit wasn't in his previous position and she couldn't track him down..Then she spotted him..He was across the street, leaning against the pier's railing, facing the sea. He looked divine to her. She had definitely not seen Yugi like this, ever. It was about sunset and the whole sky was painted with all shades of orange and red, and so did the shimmering sea. And _he_ was standing there, waiting for her…She swallowed with difficulty as she broke free from the mob's encirclement and started descending the stairs outside the arcade towards the pier…

...

He had stood there waiting for her, for what had seemed like ages. Only a few moments ago she had made the attempt to get to him but the fans had stopped her way…

His face grew dimmer; he had completely forgotten about his past and his destiny, as he now thought that he had a very real and present problem…He was in love with Tea!

/_In love…_/ he thought trying to gasp some air into his lungs. That has a variable he would have never calculated despite the complexity of his mind…When Yugi awoke his spirit and brought him back into this world, romance was the last thing he was to think about. He probably even ignored its existence…Until _she_ came along that is..That foggy afternoon in that garage..When he first saw her, faint on the floor, so fragile, so delicate. When he first held her in his arms.

Back then he thought the affection he felt for Tea was ought to the strong feelings of friendship Yugi had for her… But ever since, he seemed to be noticing her more than the others.../_I mean Joey is my friend too, but I'd never remember that cute red band he wore once or something…_/he thought. This day had been a great revelation to him, unlike any other he ever had. The strong bond he shared with Tea wasn't just friendship…It was something more, something much more than that…Just as he sank deeper in this emotional breakthrough he felt a soft touch on his shoulder, accompanied by the sweetest voice on this realm or any other…

"Hey you…I lost you back there.." she said softly.

He turned around to face Tea's beautiful sapphire eyes sparkling in the setting sun's fading light. He could see she was a bit worried about him. His expression probably scared her even more, as he hadn't yet distanced himself from his previous thoughts…

Her eyes widened as she asked him "Is everything alright Yugi?...Uhmmm…" apparently she was confused about what she should call him. Her voice was trembling…Maybe it was the chilly evening breeze in the pier. He remembered he still had her coat and her shoulders were exposed to the cold. He instantly grabbed it and put it around her, along with his arms…..

/_This is it...All defenses down…_/he thought….

…...

When he turned around and his crimson eyes met hers, she began to shake…There was something about the way he looked at her. He seemed seriously troubled but his gaze still made her blush big time.

/_My god…/_she thought, /_I don't' think I will be able to hold it much longer…_/. Finally she gathered all the strength she had left and found the courage to ask him if everything was alright. She couldn't control her trembling though…

Suddenly, with a swift move he turned and grabbed the coat she had thrown at him before she hit the dance floor…She felt far more relaxed back then. Right now she was on the edge. And he was about to make things worse. Or was _he_…?

When he turned back to face her again, she saw a strange shadow in his eyes, like he was going through an internal struggle…

Whatever it was he had on his mind, he didn't seem to have any intentions of getting any farther from her…On the contrary, he had moved closer..much closer than he'd ever been.

Her face started burning up and a red blush appeared on her cheeks…All the snow in the world wouldn't have been able to restrain that heat…

As he gently put her coat around her shoulders, she could feel his breath on her neck. That feeling was intoxicating…

Her mind was completely blank now…All the thoughts that had been storming through her conscience for the past few hours she had spent with him, had now sunk into oblivion…Or more accurately, they had sunk inside his crimson eyes that were now in perfect alignment with hers..as well as everything else on his face…

After he had covered her with the coat, his arms remained around her..In a way, that was the only thing keeping her from collapsing to the ground…Then he removed his right hand from her back and placed it gently on her left cheek..She felt like she was about to burst in tears with all the intensity boiling up inside her chest, as she now breathed heavily…

"I'm not Yugi, Tea" he said almost whispering…

"I know…"she answered unexpectedly for both of them.

Her chest felt like blowing up and her head spinned as he said her name. Despite the blur she was in, she could feel his tension too. The arm he was embracing her with was gripping her waist with force and his breath was fast and lacking of rhythm.

He leaned towards her…Just a little bit…Just close enough for…For his lips to reach hers…She felt faint, but not in a discomforting way….She felt like completely giving in…And that's exactly what she did…

When his lips touched hers, everything suddenly cleared out…It was a sense of liberation..Like the one you get when you've had to stay silent for a really long time and then you finally get to scream as loud as you want…It was redemption…And it tasted just like strawberries…Her favorite thing in the world…Well…the second favorite as of that moment…

**A/N:Ok, how was that for a kiss? Everything I had imagined. I am keeping things tender and romantic just so you know, but passionate what so ever. This is my favorite Yu-Gi-Oh pairing so I'm treating them with respect. I like the poetic side of the kiss. I flourished the story a lot with Atem's thoughts since everyone could tell Tea was head over heels for him and he was the nutshell. This is a more insightful point to what he might have been feeling. I actually described the kiss from Tea's POV cause she's the girl and, you know, I'm a girl so I can relate… Also I want to know if you think I should finish the chapter with an aftermath of the kiss. You know, what happens next…Please review, it would mean a lot to me . See you soon with a new kiss.*smouch***


	3. Kiss 2 Dueling for love

A/N: Ok, first of all I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who read my first chapters, reviewed and favorited. It really means a lot to me . Also, check out my profile, I have uploaded a little something *wink*. Anyway, this is the second "first" kiss between Atem and Téa and it occurs during the same episode as the previous one (#53). Well, it was a date so there should be more than one suitable moments for kissing :P. As I said before, you should consider that the previous kiss never happened and I will now explain how. Enjoy, and please review, I want to know what you think. Here it goes.

**First kiss No 2: Episode 53. "Dueling for love"** (_Actual title: Steppin' out_)

**A/N: Ok, background time: Téa has just wiped the floor with Johnny Steps' ass and is going to the pier where the Spirit is waiting for her. **

/_There he is_/ Téa thought as she noticed the Spirit's spiky hair outside. He was standing in front of the railing of the pier, looking at the sea. She had just gotten off the stage where she had totally crashed Johnny Steps' dancing record and made a complete fool out of him. Her heart was beating like crazy and her cheeks were still rose red from the adrenaline and the embarrassment.

Just minutes ago she had turned and winked at _him_, without even giving it a thought. /_Oh dear…_/ she thought. Now that she had realized it, she felt like such a fool. Not only had he not even nodded to her, but on top of that he had ran away on her. She felt a rush taking over her whole body. She suddenly felt angry.

/_So what? What did I do wrong?_ _I just winked at him. I didn't ask him to marry me or something…Idiot…_/. She regretted that thought right at the next second, although it made her blush a little bit more. /_Yeah, as if…_/ she interrupted herself before it was too late. She had to get real and of course she had to get back with the Spirit.

She started making her way through the frantic crowd who were cheering her for giving Johnny a long overdue lesson. She tried to keep her focus on the Spirit's spikey hair. /_It's a good thing he's taller than Yugi, or else I'd never have noticed him_ _out there_/. Her mild anger had come back. He had left her in there alone with all those people.

/_But then again… I was the one who decided to fight that Steps guy…Why am I blaming him?/_. She had started coming to the realization that her mood and emotions were getting more and more unstable around the Spirit. She had to get herself together. She couldn't think that badly of _him_. After all he was so stressed with his past and all. / _Téa Gardner you are being completely selfish/_ she scolded herself. Plus, she really had a soft spot for his moody moments.

When she finally got outside, she took a moment to notice him. He looked completely breathtaking. His fair skin sparkled in the colors of the setting sun and the evening breeze was swaying his hair back and forth. He was leaning against the pier's railing with his naked elbows and she could see his athletic biceps. /_Definitely NOT Yugi.._/she thought. He was probably completely sunk in his own thoughts, because he failed to notice her presence at first. After looking at him for a few minutes, she remembered that he still had her pink coat. He was holding it in his arms, almost _hugging_ it.

…..

/_What is this feeling? Why does my stomach feel as if it's tied with a nautical knot?_/ the spirit wandered as he looked at the sun setting behind the sea. In his arms he held Téa's coat. He looked at it, and felt his stomach even weaker. /_I must be coming down with something…_/ he thought. Then he realized that someone was watching him.

He turned around only to see Téa. She had finally come out of that damn arcade. "Hey…I…I got this" he said completely awkwardly and extended his arms with the coat in them. /_Fantastic opening line…_/ he thought feeling like a complete idiot. /_Why am I acting so irrationally?_/. He was soon going to find out…

Much to his surprise, Téa seemed to find his behavior amusing. She gave him a big smile and a slight chuckle. "Thank you mister delivery guy. Where do I sign?" she answered playfully as she took the coat from his hands. She seemed to be in an excellent mood. It made him feel a lot better somehow.

However, that big smile on Téa's face, seemed to worsen his stomach condition… Plus, he couldn't help but stare at her beautiful blue eyes as they were glowing in the sunset's orange palette. /_Stop staring… stop staring…_/ he told himself… But somehow he couldn't help but think that something was building up inside him and there had to be a climax at some point…

Then she broke the silence. "That was so awesome!" she said in a content voice. "Did you see the look on Johnny's face?" she wasn't even looking at him now. She was almost talking to herself. "Hopefully getting beat at his own game will shut him up for a while".

/_Again with that clown.._/ he thought, a bit irritated.. He hated the fact that she spoke of him, even like that. She was right however. Téa had given that loser a lesson he would probably never forget. The Spirit was really proud of her.

"You were great today Téa" he said, turning his gaze to the ocean. Having done that, he did not see the pink blush that had appeared on Téa's cheeks. "I wish I had your confidence."

….

Téa felt like fainting every time he praised her and especially when he said her name. It sounded completely different when _he_ was saying it. Different than anyone else. Or was it just her? /_Thank god he's not looking…_/ she thought. "You know Téa" he continued. /_There it is again…_/.

She had to stop blushing like that though or he would notice her. /_He already has enough issues…_/, she thought, trying to be realistic. The Spirit was still talking to her "I've been thinking about what you said earlier".

What _had_ she said earlier? It was as if her mind had gone blank."Uhh,…could you remind me exactly what you mean?", she felt really stupid asking that, but then again, all she remembered now was: _you did great today Téa..._ _Téa…_. /_I have to keep it together_/ she thought.

"You said you were unsure about your life too, Téa" he kept telling her name…/_Will he stop doing that?_/, she was irrationally complaining to herself. "And that when in doubt, you followed your heart" he said. But all Téa could think, was how luminous, he looked, leaning against that railing. /_Almost divine.._/

/_Oh, man, if I follow my heart now it will take me to crazyville…/_ She had started to understand that the reason for her being so unstable, was the feeling of anticipation. What was she waiting for? She felt as if she had been running toward a destination all day. /_What is it I am trying to get to? What am I waiting for to happen?_/

However, he was talking to her and she scolded herself for not giving him attention /_Focus Téa, his worries are more important than your schoolgirl fantasies/. _"My heart is telling me that I must uncover the secrets of my origins, no matter where the search may lead me" he said, sounding really serious.

/_He's really determined to find out about his past_/ she thought /_but I have a bad feeling it's gonna lead him to more danger…_/ she felt a pinch in her chest. The thought of him getting hurt made her completely desperate. But she was determined to help him. Whatever it was he had on his mind, she would be there, by his side, helping him and rooting for him…

….

"I'm glad my advice could help you" she said suddenly. She came closer to him and leaned against the railing too. She was so close, he could smell the intoxicating strawberry scent he had earlier noticed on her coat. His heart started beating like crazy and his stomach pain was out of this world. /_Oh no! I am definitely coming down with something.._/, he was still in denial, because being the extremely intelligent creature he was, he had noticed a lot earlier that the symptoms of his 'illness' only appeared when Téa was around, or when he was thinking about her. Which, was quite often lately, especially since they had gotten back from Duelist Kingdom… He chose to ignore it… But for how long?

"Just so you know, while you're out there searching for answers, I will be right by your side, searching along with you" she said in that heartfelt, optimistic way she always said those kinds of things. She was standing right next to him now, looking straight at him with her huge sparkling opalescent eyes. /_Oh man… I think this is it…I'm gonna burst in flames..._/ he thought, unconsiously leaning a little closer to her. "Thank you Téa…" he said, and he meant it in so many ways…

He was not sure what he was about to do, but somehow it was like his mind wasn't in control anymore, but the autopilot, ergo his feelings, had taken over… They were really close, observing each other, like they were performing some kind of strange ritual, when suddenly an annoying voice interrupted them…

"BOO!" it was Johnny. "Do you two geeks mind if I step in?" he had a stupid smirk on his face, that made the spirit want to punch him dead. /_Do we mind he asks…_/. But Téa beat him to the answer.

"Now what do you want from us?" she said looking at him angrily. She was really cute when she was angry. Her face frowned so much that her characteristics almost changed. "I've humbly come down here to ask you for a second chance" the dancer answered.

/_A second chance in what?..._/ the Spirit's face turned green. Téa beat him to the question too. "Second chance?" she almost sounded interested. The Spirit felt his blood boiling with anger.

"I'd have easily won if my leg hadn't cramped up" he said in an idiotically self-conscious way. "I think that you owe me a rematch!" he announced with a very mischievous look on his face. He _obviously_ wanted to get Téa's attention…

/_I'm gonna beat him up if he goes on_/. The Spirit was seriously annoyed. Not only had this jerk interrupted their intimate moment, but now _he was after _Téa!

He was so caught up in his fury, that he almost didn't hear Téa telling Johnny to give up. "Ughhh… I'll give you a rematch! But we'll duel my way" he said firmly. Téa was startled.

….

"What?". Was he actually planning to _fight_ with this guy?/_For me?_/ she wandered. The redness reappeared on her face once again.

But Johnny had other intentions. "Back off porcupine head. This duel is between me and the girl" he hissed. Then the Spirit suddenly turned to Téa. He seemed very, very serious and… was it.. angry? "Téa, I'm going to take this guy off your back for good" he said. Téa lost her breath for a minute…"Uhmmm…". It wasn't just the fact that he was staring her with his huge, serious, amethyst eyes, which, sure enough, were breathtaking, but also that he had stepped in on her behalf, with that mesmerizing decisiveness of his. /_He's… he wants to defend me_?/ "Sure" she had uttered without thinking too much.

Her heart started racing. He was angry because another guy was after her… Could he be… Jealous?! /_C'mon Téa, get real… That's what he does…_/ she tried to get to a sane place. It was true, ever since he had appeared, all he did was run to the rescue. Whenever there was someone in trouble, he would always step up for them. She remembered little Kaiba and Mai in Duelist Kingdom. He had done the same for them. And for much higher stakes… It was silly to think that this time was different just because of her… Or was it? Something in his tone of voice suggested that this was personal. But it _could_ just be wishful thinking.

At that moment the dreadlock dancing dude hissed again "Good. I'm not afraid of you. Name your game you little freak!". The Spirit answered almost instantly "The game is Duel Monsters" he said. Of course Téa already knew it was gonna come to that. /_No one can beat him in Duel Monsters…/_she thought and a half smile appeared on the left side of her face.

"If you lose, you're gonna leave Téa alone!" he almost shouted that one to make it sound like a threat.

"Fine! But if I win, she'll have to go on a date with me!" Johnny smirked. /_That creep.._/ Téa shuddered in the thought of going on a date with that douche. But she was pretty confident that _he_ would get her out of this. /_My hero…_/ despite the awkward situation Téa was daydreaming.

…

The Spirit's face frowned again. He was almost pressing all of his face skin against his nose. /_Over my dead body…_/he thought. Things were starting to clear up inside him by then. He was never gonna let Téa go out with that guy. That jerk! Not only because he was a huge dumbass, but because _she_ _was_ _his_.

After spending that day with her, he finally came to terms with the fact that he didn't want her to be like that with anyone else. He only wanted her for himself. /_And after I'm done with this loser, I'm gonna let her know_/. It sounded selfish, but then again, _love_ has to be… "I'll never let THAT happen!" he answered.

After that they headed for Kaiba Land, which of course was the place to go for a decent duel.

….

"Challenging me to a duel was a very bad idea! You losers have no idea who you're dealing with" that dancer sure had a big idea about himself. But the Spirit had put on his dueling face. That strong, literally mind-blowing face that made Téa root for him with all her heart every time. "You're the one who's going to lose" _he_ said calmly.

But Johnny just wouldn't let it go… "Listen up punk, Johnny doesn't lose" He turned his look on Téa "Hey, you may think you beat me today, _sweetheart_, but that was only cause of a freak accident". /_Ughhh that…_/ Téa was really uncomfortable.

"Téa defeated you fair and square!" the Spirit shouted suddenly. And he added firmly "You'd better show some respect to her, or you'll be _punished_!". Téa felt her knees getting weaker. That person was so impressive, it was scary, and even more surprisingly, he was fighting for her…

"Believe what you wanna believe tough guy" Johnny taunted. Of course he wouldn't admit his inferiority. "Alright, it's about time you learned your lesson Steps" the Spirit was ready for battle. "Let's duel!" the shouted simultaneously.

Since the beginning of their duel it was pretty obvious who had the upper hand. Johnny's monsters were all over the place and for all his big talk, the Spirit was way ahead of him all the time. Téa had seen _him_ duel many times, but most of those times she thought he was Yugi. Now her point of view was different. /_Waaaaaay different.._/ she thought.

The more she looked at him, the more she was sure of how she felt. /_First love…._/ she thought. /_With a spirit trapped in a pyramid shaped puzzle hanging on my friend's neck…. Way to go Téa…_/ it was her who was taunting herself now.

In the battlefield, the Spirit seemed kind of pensive. /_Could he be actually worried about this guy?_/ she lost her confidence if only for a second. /_He's the king of games… He beat Pegasus himself, the creator of the game…_/. But before she finished that thought she heard his beloved voice echoing in the stadium.

"It's time to face the music Johnny!" he then summoned his famous Curse of Dragon and obliterated one of Johnny's attack monsters. "So far you're hitting all the wrong notes!" he was turning Johnny's theme against him. Téa loved his ability to sound super clever at any point of any duel. /_Johnny doesn't know who he's up against.._/

But then something unexpected happened. Johnny managed to summon the Musician King, a monster strong enough to defeat the Celtic Guardian. It was a shirtless dude with an electric guitar. /_Really classy.._/ Téa thought, a little worried that the Spirit's LP had dropped. But no doubt in her heart, he would win in the end.

Then she heard Johnny's annoying voice addressing her "I promise the music will be much more _romantic_ on our date Téa". /_Ughhhh, this is really uncomfortable… I don't want to date this creep.. The only one I wanna date is…_/ but her thought was interrupted by the object of her affection.

"There is going to be _no_ date!" he shouted. "Curse of Dragon silence his Musician King!" he ordered. But helas! Johnny had placed a trap card and managed to transform his monster into a more weird-looking one, not to mention stronger, the Heavy Metal King. The Spirit's dragon was vanquished.

Téa felt chills going down her spine. /_Could Johnny actually win?_/ she was terrified. And the even scarier thing was, the Spirit summoned weaker monsters. /_Oh, God… Please let this not be the only time he loses…_/ Téa had lost her cool there. "He's in major trouble" she said out loud.

…

"Why don't you just give up? None of your monsters can beat my Heavy Metal King" Johnny said. /_That fool… He thinks he's got me. But there is no way I'm losing this duel. Not a chance_/ the Spirit thought, and almost immediately he summoned his most loyal creature, the Dark Magician and ordered him to attack Johnny's monster.

"The fun never ends! With Metalmorph's effect my monster is stronger than yours!" Johnny's overconfidence had caught up with him. The Spirit replied almost instantly "Your ability to miscalculate is uncanny". He felt really good about what he was going to say to that guy. "Your overconfidence renders you blind!". After crushing his monster, the Spirit went on to give Johnny one of his preaching talks about the rules of the game.

"Metalmorph is a powerful card when used correctly, but maybe you should have read the instruction manual first" he was now making fun of his obnoxious opponent. He could feel Téa's gaze upon him. Maybe he was even trying to impress her a little… He blushed for a brief moment, but then he was attacked by Johnny's stupid insults.

"There's no way you could do that. You must have cheated! Tell me your name!" Johnny shouted. /_My name…I wish I could…_/ the Spirit thought." Just call me Yugi" he answered. /_As good a name as any I guess…_/.

However, _that_ name made Johnny pee in his pants. "No way!" his face was distorted. "Not the Yugi that beat Pegasus!". He had obviously heard about Duelist Kingdom. Soon after that, he retreated from the arena "Just forget it! I'm out man. I'm a dancer, not a duelist!" he said, a lot less obnoxiously than before.

But when he turned to leave he found a furious Téa right in front of him. The Spirit couldn't quite hear what she was saying to him but he sure didn't like it. /_Why is she talking to him? Why is she stopping him?_/ his judgement was clearly clouded by his feelings. /_Could she be upset that he didn't win…?_/ but that was too irrational of him. Of course it couldn't be that. Téa was not that kind of person at all.

He got off the arena and started walking toward them. He got there just the moment Johnny had started walking away. /_Finally.._/. Just then, Johnny stopped and turned to Téa. /_Just take a hike will you…_/ _he_ thought, biting his lower lip from the inside.

"Thanks for being honest with me Téa," he told her with a smile, before he turned to leave again. /_So that's what it was…_/a grin of relief appeared on the Spirit's face. He realized that Téa had probably given Johnny one of her preachings about strength and bravery. She did do that a lot. And she did it well.

Then Téa's sweet eyes turned to him and she said with a cute chuckle " Hopefully now he'll face his problems instead of running away…". Of course she was right as always. "You're right" the Spirit agreed. "And that's exactly what _I_'m gonna do" he said. /_In more ways than one…_/ he thought to himself.

…..

Téa was a bit puzzled. She sure was happy as hell he had won the duel and they had both gotten to give Johnny a lesson. But now he looked more serious than ever. His eyes were fiery and his fists clenched. "Téa" he said all of a sudden, causing her blood pressure to rise again, "Let's go to the Egyptian Exhibition". Then, with a move that swept her completely off her feet, he grabbed her hand and they started running toward the Museum.

After about a 5 minute run, they reached the entrance. There were no people in the streets at is was pretty much closing time. /_I sure hope we can make it before it closes_/ Téa thought, feeling her heart pounding like crazy. It wasn't so much because of the running, as it was cause of _his_ firm grip.

After they had reached in front of the museum, he had suddenly stopped her, before the big staircase, but he had not let go of her hand. Not that _she_ wanted him to. The warmth of his hand was a pleasure beyond her imagination… But little did she know, she was about to be completely blown away…

"Téa" he broke the silence "I think you were right about this exhibit. I feel it may hold clues to the mysteries of my past, answers to some of my questions.." he said. But it seems that those words were only a prologue to something else.

"Thank you for bringing me here, and for helping me today Téa" he told her, looking straight at her with his incredibly captivating amethyst eyes. She felt her knees weak again /_What is this?..._/she thought. /_Is he thanking me? If anything I should be thanking him for defending me… And for being in my life_…/ That felt kind of awkward. That silence.

"That's what friends are for" she almost shouted. /_What the…_/ she surprised herself. That silly statement was clearly the outcome of her emotional instability caused by his touch and look. /_Great… There goes the rose cheek again…_/.

Her body temperature reached sky high levels when he turned her face to face and grabbed her other hand. "Téa, there's something I need to tell you before we go inside"… /_Oh god, this is it…_/, she prepared herself to be swept off the ground.

"No matter what's beyond those doors, I'm ready to face it" he stated, looking more passionate than ever. "As long as _you're_ with me Téa", and saying that, he came a little closer.

At his last phrase, Téa was sure she skipped a beat… "_We_ are ready to face it…" she said softly, returning his firm hand-grip. "Because I'm right here with you" she continued, having a clarity she wouldn't have ever expected to have in a moment like this… The moment she had seen in her dreams so many times… The moment when _his_ breath would combine with hers, along with their hearts…

"And I _always_ will be" were her last words before he pulled her softly toward him and released her hands to grab her waist. This time, not only did she not skip a beat, but she probably got a million more than normal… Holding her in his arms, he leaned a little bit to the right and gave her the first kiss… Her first kiss… A kiss she would remember to the end of this lifetime, and the ones that might follow….

…

**A/N: That Johnny dude may have interrupted them, but that gave them the time to come to terms with their feelings huh? (you know what green stands for right? :P). So what did you think of this kiss? I sure luuuved it 3. Of course in that episode they were together and alone all the time, so they had the time for realization and complex emotion analysis. However, many of the times to come are going to be much more intense since they will mostly be in a tight spot or in the heat of battle. I chose not to elaborate on the duel much, except for the parts that concerned the romance. Anyway, thanks for reading and let me know what you think, by reviewing of course!**


	4. Kiss 3 The Moment

A/N: Well, here I am with another chapter. I would like to thank all my reviewers and followers once again for you are giving me courage to keep writing. Oh YES! *wink*. So, merci beaucoup! On to the chapter now. This one is still on the same track as the previous two as it is the end of the date where the Battle City tournament is announced. At first I didn't think there was an opportunity for a kiss there, but then I noticed, in the Japanese version that there is a certain moment where Tea and Atem just stare at each other for about 5 seconds (!) without saying anything. Also I would like to note that I am not at all a fan of the "Yami" name, as it is not the Spirit's real name and it does not exist as such in the original storyline. It was probably a trick 4kids came up with, because they just had to give him a name. However yami means darkness or sth in Japanese, and it is actually used as an adjective to refer to Yugi's other half, "Yami Yugi", or "Dark Yugi". Therefore, I do not particularly like the name Yami for the Pharaoh. However, since I am staying true to the storyline I will not be changing it. Well, I hope you like this one, it might be a little different than the other two. Please keep reviewing, it is really important to me. Oh! And don't forget to check my profile. I have added a link to my new deviantart account so that you can comment on my drawing too if you like. Here we go! *wink*

**First Kiss No 4. Episode 54. "The moment". [**_**Actual title: Obelisk the Tormentor**_**]**

**A/N: Background time. Tea and the Spirit are still on their date. The duel with Johnny Stepps is over and now they are in front of the Domino Museum, where the spirit is determined to find out about his past. REMEMBER! The previous kisses never happened :P**

"Well, here we are" Tea stated as she was trying to catch her breath. After his duel with Johnny, the Spirit had suddenly grabbed her hand and practically dragged her all the way to the museum.

/_He's sure acting a little strange after that duel../ _she found herself thinking. She was all blushed because of all the running they had done, but also, because although they had reached their destination, he was still holding her hand tightly.

She was surprised that despite the fact that he was clutching her hand as if it were an iron tool, she didn't feel at all uncomfortable. On the contrary…She kinda liked it… /_What am I, a pervert?.._/ that though made her blush even more.

The Spirit who was sunk in his own thoughts seemed to notice. He let go of her hand softly but the stern, sever look on his face didn't change.

"I'm sorry I dragged you like that Tea" he said looking straight forward and not to her direction. "But I just had to come here. And I wanted you to come with me. Since it was your idea. I do tend to get impulsive at times" he said almost apologetic. Then he turned his look toward her.

"Thank you Tea" he said, sounding a lot calmer. "Today was a revelation for me. I am sure that many of the questions that torture my existence will find their answer in here…".

Tea felt his determination and matched it with hers "Well, your friends will be right beside you all the way!" she said smiling at him.

"You really are a good friend Tea!" he said, smiling back at her, then looking on the ground.

Tea felt as if she had been stabbed in the heart. /_A good friend…_/ she thought. So that's all he thought of her? They had spent the whole day together and he had dueled to rid her from the obnoxious dancer/stalker that wanted to date her by force, like a knight in shining armor, and now this… This friend talk… For some reason Tea was disappointed…

/_Now I'm the one acting weird… It's a good thing what he just said… I AM his friend…_/ still, she could not get that annoying disappointment from her head.

Although she had spent all the previous night trying to convince herself that was not a date, she secretly hoped it would turn out as one. And up to that moment, it sure looked that it would… If not for the interruption from that creepy dreadlock dancer…

Before she knew they were inside the museum. The place was packed with people from all over town, admiring the ancient Egyptian exhibits, but Tea paid no attention to the wonders of archaeology. All she could think about was _him_…

/_This exhibit's gotta have some clues to help him remember his past_/she hoped. He was checking the ancient artifacts with an extremely pensive look. However at times, Tea could swear she saw him taking glimpses at her with his side-sight.

/_Yeah and I'm a freaking psychic.._/ she always tried to keep a level head when those thoughts came to mind. And she sure did have her work cut out for her that day. A whole day with him, trying to contain the teenage girl inside her and bring out the "good friend".

/_Seems I succeded…_/ she frowned at that last thought as she remembered his previous comment.

She noticed he looked really frustrated and got worried. "You're sure you wanna go through with this right?" she asked him. He turned and looked at her with his huge serious eyes and answered "I have no choice Tea… It's my destiny…".

/_I wonder what's this destiny talk about…_/ she thought. He sure seemed to be really puzzled after that encounter with the Rare Hunters and the incident at the warehouse. And so was Yugi. As she was thinking that, she noticed he had suddenly stopped in front of a strange door that looked like an exit.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

"I sense something in here" he said while walking to the door.

/_He senses?... That's pretty strange_/ Tea had realized long ago that the "other Yugi" as they used to call him, had many strange abilities that were borderline supernatural.

"In the basement?" she finally said. Right at that moment it looked as if a strange light came out of his forehead. Tea had seen that thing before but she thought it was just the sun or the arena's lights that were playing tricks on her, but could it be a coincidence?

That side of him made her feel kind of uncomfortable. Despite what she might have liked, he was not your average teenager. He was a strange being with psychic and other inexplicable powers. The thought of him being interested in someone common like her was stupid to say the least…

"Is this a part of the exhibit?" she regretted that question the moment it came out of her mouth. /_Way to go not looking stupid Gardner.._/ she scolded herself. /_Of course it's not part of the exhibit idiot… It's a freaking basement_/.

But he suddenly started descending the stairs that lay beyond the door.

"Something down here is calling out to me Tea" he said grabbing her hand again to help her go down the stairs, as it was kind of dark… Tea felt a shockwave through her body. She did not expect him to do that.

/_Stop thinking like a teenage fangirl Tea.. Focus…This is destiny stuff…_/ but for some reason she could not get herself to focus on anything else but his hand on her wrist…

"I feel that the answers I seek, are near" he said when they reached the bottom of the stairs, letting go of her hand, leaving her kind of disappointed.

Then, she noticed a giant rock on the wall right in front of them.

"Check it out!" she said with more enthusiasm than she would have expected. "It's some kind of ancient Egyptian stone."

/_Way to state the obvious dumbass…_/ her thoughts were all over the place. Why was she so confused and insecure all of a sudden? And why on earth did she say all that silly stuff?

"And those carvings resemble duel monster cards" he noted, turning her attention back at the stone. Then her eyes widened and her heart started beating with a tenfold speed.

Right there, in the middle of the huge stone there was a carving of…._him_! She couldn't be mistaken. That hairstyle was too unique… And she would recognize him anywhere. She could even distinguish him from Yugi, something that not many people could claim to do….

"No way!" she said loudly. "That guy looks just like you! Is this thing for real? It's freaking me out!" she said even more loudly.

She really _was_ freaked out. In front of her there was a 5000-year old (according to the label) Egyptian stone with his image. How could she not be?

But he was calm as cucumber. "Yes Tea, it IS real.. Somehow, I know it is..", there he went again with the psychic powers… "And look, around his neck," he said clutching his puzzle..

"It's the Millennium Puzzle!" Tea completed his thought… /_I must be a genius._./ she ironically told herself… It seemed to her that all that came out of her mouth, was nonsense…

Then he suddenly turned and looked at her "That appears to be me, playing an ancient duel monsters game.." although he was also stating the obvious, it sounded to her as if she was talking chimp and he was reciting Einstein's relativity… That was really strange for Tea, who was pretty self-confident all in all… /_What's wrong with me?_/

"This is exactly the kind of clue I was looking for…" he stated. "Hmm.." he smiled. "Just when I think I've found one answer, a thousand new questions arise" he added.

Right at that moment they heard a mysterious female voice coming from behind them. Tea was startled, and so was the Spirit.

"Pharaoh, I've been expecting you".

They turned around to see a young, dark-skinned woman wearing Arabic attire. She had blue eyes and long black hair, with golden strings entangled in them. /_How, she's really pretty._./ was Tea's first thought, letting the fact that she called him Pharaoh pass…

"Who are you?" the Spirit asked firmly.

"I am Ishizu, and I have uncovered many mysteries about _you_ and these ancient carvings using the magic of my Millennium Necklace", she said, clutching a golden ring around her neck, which what the same symbol as Yugi's puzzle on it.

"Another Millennium Item!" he said surprised.

The mystery woman continued, "With this item, I have gazed 5000 years into the past to a time when evil sorcerers threatened to destroy the entire world.."

The woman had the Spirit's full attention. "However, there was a king with a magic powerful enough to stop them".

"And who was this king?" he asked almost before she could finish her sentence.

"The Pharaoh who saved the world was _you, Yami"_. Tea felt as if she was struck by lightning. A Pharaoh? Yami? Saved the world? That was too much information at once.

But Ishizu wasn't done. "And now the time has come for you to rescue mankind once again".

"How do you know the world is in danger of being destroyed?" he asked her with that famous stern frown of his.

"My Milennium Necklace also gives me visions of the future…" she stopped for a brief moment, touched her necklace again closed her eyes and with a deep voice she finished her phrase "… oh, my Pharaoh.."

/_MY PHARAOH?!_/Tea, couldn't contain her jealousy… The woman was clearly interested in him and she was comfortable enough around him to call him _her Pharaoh_… Plus she had his full attention… Tea felt electrocuted once again, only this time it was worse.

/_Figures_…/ she thought. After all, Ishizu was incredibly beautiful, she could even describe her as sexy.. She was exotic and mysterious and more importantly she held vital clues to his past.. His destiny.. The purpose of this whole "date". She was everything Tea wasn't…

In her mind, Tea was as insignificant as an ant at that moment. She felt like crying, but she was too proud to let them see her going bananas at this point. This was a critical turn for the Spirit… Meanwhile they were still talking…

"And how will I recognize this new evil..?" he asked.

"I know that your memory has faded, my Pharaoh" Ishizu started talking…

/_Again?! She called him MY, again? What's wrong with this woman?/_ Tea was out of control.. She could feel a drop of sweat crossing her left cheek and her face was completely tense.

When she relaxed a little bit, she noticed Ishizu leaving. That was probably what prevented her from blowing up…

"When you return home you will find an invitation…" she said.

"Fairwell, king Yami"

/_King… Yami_/ Tea thought. Almost unconsciously she uttered "Yami… So that's your name".

…..

As they were walking toward Yugi's house, Yami couldn't help but notice that Tea seemed a bit frustrated.

"Is everything ok Tea?" he asked, sounding more concerned about her than about all the new information he had received only moments ago.

As if waking from slumber, Tea shook her head and answered.. "Sure.. I'm fine.. It's just so much information for one night…" she smiled. She looked so very cute when she smiled, but she didn't convince him. There was a hint of sadness in her eyes. That made her look even more cute.

Yami had found it a lot easier to think of normal things now that he knew that he _did_ _exist_. Before that, all he could think of was whether he had ever been human or not, and what his destiny was as a spirit. But now he knew. He was real. He had existed as a human before. A king maybe, but still a human. So it was normal for him to have human thoughts… _And feelings_…

He turned to look at Tea, who seemed to be gazing at the void. /_She seems really troubled.. But she doesn't seem to want to talk about it…_/he decided not to put any more pressure on her, for the time being. Everything they had learnt tonight was already too much.

He noticed they had reached home. Well, what had been his home for the past few months, since his spirit was invoked by Yugi. He opened the door to the game shop. "Gramps?" he yelled. But no answer… Suddenly, he heard Tea's voice.

"That's kinda weird…" she said calmly. "A 5000 year old Pharaoh, calling a 65-year old man, gramps.." she gave him a big grin.

He felt as if a light had turned on in his heart. The warmth of her smile was incomparable. "You're right I guess" he said smiling back at her. But he just couldn't help but notice she felt awkward.

They ascended the stairs to Yugi's room. _His _ room. He felt a strange shame at that thought. He was taking Tea to his room. But why was that making him feel restless?

Tea had come in Yugi's room so many times before.. But now somehow things had changed. Now he knew that Yugi and him were two different existences, with different minds and more importantly, different _hearts_…

…

Tea started ascending the stairs with a strange feeling in her stomach and a hint of blushing on her cheeks. /_Why do I feel so awkward…_/but of course she knew the answer, much as she wished to deny it…

As he turned the knob of Yugi's room's door she realized… They were going to _his_ room! /_His…Don't lose your cool now Tea_/ she thought..

/_This is just Yugi's room…Although…Yami is the one taking me there now…_/ technically, it was his room too.

Tea felt her blushing become more intense… /_Oh, no…He's gonna see through me_/. For some reason she was terrified of him realizing her feelings… Feelings even she was convinced she was unaware of, herself, until very recently…

Then she was saved. The moment he opened the door he rushed to the desk, "This must be it" he said, grabbing a white envelope that was on it. She moved a little closer. On the envelope was written '_To Yugi Muto'_ and there was no insignia on it.

Yami opened the envelope and in it there was a piece of paper with a single phrase on it. '_You are invited to the Battle City Duel Monsters Tournament that will be announced tonight at 7.00 pm at the Domino City Plaza'_.

"Huh", he said. "This must be what Ishizu was talking about…"

/_Ishizu…_/ Tea's face went grim again… She almost forgot the mystery woman that addressed Yami as if he belonged to her. This date had turned into a nightmare for Tea…

Yami opened the top drawer and took a pile of cards. "Ok, I guess this is the deck I'll take to this tournament. It's the one Yugi trusts most" he said softly. Yami had real faith on Yugi and his deck…

"I wish he was here to exchange thoughts, but he made it really clear that he wouldn't step out for today…" he added.

/_Gee, I wonder why…_/Tea taunted herself…/_I guess I'm that obvious/_

"Well, let's go do this Tea!" Tea suddenly noticed how incredibly handsome he looked when he was that determined. He had a sparkle in his eyes that made her think that nothing would be impossible for someone like him. It was the same expression he had when he dueled. The same expression that made Tea feel so uncomfortable before Yugi told her that there was another presence inside him…

_***flashback***_

"_**Let's duel!" Yugi and Weevil shouted simultaneously. Tea looked at Yugi's face. He seemed luminous. He seemed taller, stronger and more…handsome! /**_**What am I thinking?**_**/ Tea felt a strange pressure in her stomach… What was she thinking? That was Yugi, her childhood friend that was as sexy as a baby panda… How was it that when he dueled he turned into a hot stud? /**_**Oh dear**_**…/**_

_***end of flashback***_

/_That's when it all started I guess_/ she thought. Although it sure felt more normal to like Yami than it did to be attracted to Yugi, he still was a 5000 year old spirit! That did definitely not fall under the category of normal…

Plus she could still not shake the feeling of inferiority she had developed during that day. The feeling that she was useless to him… Something that was further worsened by Ishizu's presence…/_Now that's a girl… No, a woman.. for him_/ she thought desperately.

As she was sunk in her misery, she unconsciously turned around and hit a small container with her left thigh. Right afterwards, she felt a cold liquid drippin on her skin. It was ink!

"Oh no!" she yelled. That was probably the last straw. She almost started crying…

…

Yami heard the noise of something falling on the floor and turned around to see Tea almost tearful. A small red ink container had fallen from Yugi's desk and stained her pink shorts. But was she hurt? She seemed almost in pain.

"Tea! Are you ok?" he rushed and got really close to her. Tea turned her eyes away from him, startled.

"Ye.. yes, I'm fine, but my shorts.. They're ruined…Damn it!" she almost screamed…

He couldn't help but think that a stupid stain couldn't have been the reason for such desperation… That was just not like Tea…

Yami took a desk chair and made Tea sit… He couldn't just stand and do nothing. He had noticed her strange behavior and was now certain that something was up.

After he sat her down, he also sat, almost kneeling, in front of her. "Hey… Tea.. What's wrong?" he asked softly.

Tea was still kind of flustered… "It's just that… I'm so clumsy… And useless!" she almost screamed again. "I'm so useless Yami! I couldn't help you at all today… If it wasn't for Ishizu…" she stopped. She turned away again and she seemed…/_blushed_/.

/_Ishizu… Is that what it's all about?_/, could Tea have felt, inferior to Ishizu? But, again that wasn't like her at all. That strange behavior… Could it be that she was… _jealous_?!

Yami felt his heart beating fast… Really fast…

"And this stupid stain…" she suddenly said. "It will never come off.." she sounded kind of irrational which made Yami smile and made his chest really warm. He went closer to her and touched her almost humid cheek with his hand.

"No one is going to notice this stain when they're looking at _you_" he said softly…

Tea's face turned red. She was embarrassed. But he could tell that she felt the same way he did…

"Please don't be sad…" he continued. "I couldn't bear to see you cry". They were really close now.

"YUGI! IS THAT YOU UP THERE?" Solomon's voice echoed in their ears…

They were both startled. They simultaneously pulled away from each other. /_Great_…/Yami thought, /_Thanks a lot gramps_/he had gotten a little pissed.

"Yes it's us. Tea and I!" he yelled back at the old man.

….

Meanwhile Tea had gone to the kitchen to get some water on her stained shorts. Thankfully it was water-soluble ink so most of it came off. /_So much for fasion desperation.._/ she was actually making fun of herself.

She was a lot calmer now. She had snapped out of her self-loathing completely. Moments ago, she had been closer to Yami than ever…Millimeter-scale closer…

/_If grandpa hadn't shown up… he would have.._/ the thought gave the crazy beating signal to her heart. She was smiling by herself.. Could it be that Yami… Although it was pretty obvious, she still doubted…

"We should get going… It's almost 7" she heard his deep voice say.

As they were walking to the plaza, no one having said a word on the way, or without even exchanging one look, Tea decided to break the silence.

"The invitation said the tournament would be announced tonight." She said trying to sound as normal as she could. They had almost reached the plaza now but they were still in a not very crowded street.

"Ishizu was right.." she continued. It seemed that her feelings for that woman were at ease now.

Yami suddenly stopped walking. "I don't know if everything she said is true" he started saying, "but I do know I must enter and win this tournament in order to fulfill my destiny..." he fixed his eyes on her.

"Just promise me you'll be careful Yami.." Tea answered trying to sound and look as cool as she could… "Cause I'm sure there's still danger ahead", but even _she_ could hear her voice trembling. She felt as if she had drunk ten cups of coffee. Her palms were frozen and her chest was on fire.

"Yes, whoever's after the Millennium Puzzle is still out there" he said, not averting his eyes from her. "But you must trust me Tea.. This deck has never failed me… Nor has Yugi. As long as we stay connected we can overcome anything." he was determined.

"And you can count on my help!" Tea said without overthinking…"As little as it may be…" she added.

His look suddenly changed. It became more dark and mysterious, but somehow warmer…

"Is..is everything ok?" Tea asked with genuine concern… She had never seen that expression on his face

"Yes Tea. Everything is fine…" he answered. But he wasn't finished.

"Just… Tea" he almost struck her with his look. "Don't you ever put yourself down!" he said almost scolding her.

"There's no reason to think that anyone else is stronger or better than you." He continued.

"Not Ishizu, not anyone. Any woman pales in comparison to you. You are beautiful, smart, kind, considerate and strong beyond words…"

Saying that he grabbed her arm and violently pulled her toward him.

Their bodies were pressed against each other and he put his arms around her enclosing her in an almost suffocating hug.

He looked at her blushed face and whispered "To me… You are precious Tea…".

He hugged her even tighter and pressed his lips against hers with all the passion that he had in him and Tea knew, that there was nothing that could ever compare to that feeling… Not even remotely….

**A/N: And there is a passionate kiss… You didn't see that coming huh? I'm so pleased with this kiss I am even blushing myself a little bit as I write it :P. I told you it would be different. I decided to use the part of the episode that Kaiba was fighting his imaginary friend, the computer, to describe how Atem and Tea got the invitation. I'm also pleased because I've put a lot more to this chapter as I used less of the original episode and more of my imagination. I bet you thought I was going to have them kiss at the room.. Well gotcha! XD Solomon ex machina, interrupted them… Also if you see the Japanese episode (it is there in the English version, only a little shorter) you will notice that these two share a moment just before Mai storms in, hence the title of this chapter. Ok, enough blabbing. Thank you all for reading and please review. It makes my day. The sketch for this kiss called "Precious" is already posted in my deviantart account. Till the next chapter, cheerio. ^_^**


	5. Kiss 4 I can't stand losing you(Part A)

A/N: Ok, new chapter. It takes a while to update, cause I have my biology essays and all, but I'll keep them coming :P. I must say I was a little disappointed because you guys didn't review on my last chapter :'(. Besides **The Man With Imagination **(echo) that is. Thank u my friend ^_^. I can see you reading, it's right there in my stats :P:P. Next time please take a minute to review. Feedback is really important to me as I am a beginner. I've said it before and I'll say it again, it doesn't have to be a good review. Just be honest, without being mean of course. So pretty pls next time review *puppy eyes*. Ok enough with that and on to the chapter. Ok, this one extends to a series of episodes concerning the duel between the mind-controlled Joey and Yugi and it is the first time in the story that involves actually _life threatening_ situations for Joey, Yugi and especially Tea! Btw, in all the previous episodes Tea and Yugi/Yami have not met at all (bad, bad animators *angryfacy*) so it's a built-up situation (just to set the mood). I have altered the dialogues a little and have borrowed some stuff from the Japanese version. Also, again I have added a part on the end of the last episode which, like last time, does not disrupt the original storyline. The title of course is inspired by the famous song by The Police (watch?v=QosA3IKjGF4). Also, I have decided to give you some audio on the chapter besides the visual with the drawings. For anyone who's as weird as I am that is, cause I believe that the problem with real life is, it has no soundtrack :P. Besides the song from The Police you could read these chapters (especially the second one, in the end at least) listening to this ( watch?v=DY7gkIesuXQ, it's "I want to spend my lifetime loving you" by Marc Anthony and Tina Arena, it's from the soundtrack of Mask of Zorro). I hope you enjoy it. And don't forget, R&R, it's good for the author's self-esteem :P [for the links just put the www. youtube ommiting the spaces, in front of the rest of the links :D)

**First Kiss No 4: Episodes 70-78 "I can't stand losing you.."** **(Part A) **

[_Actual titles: "Double Duel", "The Rescue" & "Friends till the end"_]

**Background: Yami has just defeated Marik's puppet mime and obtained Slifer The Sky Dragon. However Marik informs him that he's going after his friends, namely Tea and Joey, after. So he sets off to rescue them. Kaiba who's got the hots for Slifer (XDXD) decides to help him on the condition that they will duel next. Meanwhile, Tea and Joey meet Marik/Namu and Bakura and are attacked by the Rare Hunters.**

"_Yugi! Help_!" Tea's words echoed in Yami's head. He was now in Kaiba's helicopter with him and Mokuba, heading to the Domino Docks where Mokuba had just escaped from. As much as he refused to admit it, Kaiba was probably a pretty decent guy, since he had jumped in to help rescue Tea. Yami would definitely owe him for that.

All he could think of, was Tea's safety. He was worried about Joey too of course, but Joey was pretty strong. Yami was sure that he was going to be ok. But her…

She was _fragile flower_. As much as she liked to act tough, she was still an easy prey for that bunch of criminals. "Ughhh" Yami bit his lips in distress. /_I'm coming Tea.. You just wait!_/he thought. He was determined to not let anything happen to her.

"What's wrong Yugi? Are you worried about your little friends?" Kaiba taunted him, as he noticed his discomfort. Then he turned to Mokuba "Is our satellite tracking system working?"

"Yes, I'm picking up a weak signal!" the boy answered. "It's coming from the same place where the Rare Hunters, were keeping me and _Tea"_ he continued. "We're gonna be there in about fifteen minutes".

That caught Yami's attention. "Huh!" that meant Joey was close to Tea. That was kind of a relief. When Mokuba had shown up after his and Kaiba's double duel with those mask freaks of Rare Hunters, he was relieved to find out that Tea was doing ok.

But it had been about two hours since then. Plus he just dreaded the thought of Tea being alone with those freaky goons. /_If they've laid one finger on her, I'll annihilate them_/he thought in anger. Yugi caught that. "Easy there Yami…I'm worried too" he said. "But we've got to keep calm if we want to save them".

"You're right Yugi.." Yami answered. But he still couldn't shake that feeling of anger… Tea, alone in a warehouse, in the hands of those creeps… /_Hang in there Tea…I'm on my way to save you!_/

….

"C'mon little girl! You're coming with us." Those two Rare Hunter creeps grabbed Tea's arms and started pulling her out of the room where she had been locked for the past few hours. Tea was disgusted by their very touch.

"Let me go you creeps!" she yelled and bit the hand of one of them. "Why you little bitch" he screamed and tried to slap her in the face. But the other one stopped his hand on the air. "Hey, remember the boss wants her unharmed. Don't lose your cool man. This chick is gonna get what's coming to her by master Marik soon".

Tea was really scared, although she didn't want to admit it. This situation had turned into quite the perilous one… She feared not so much for herself, as she feared for her friends, especially Yugi… and of course Yami. She was pretty sure _he_ was their real target… And what came next convinced her…

"Maybe that little Kaiba runt escaped, but the _real bait_ is you. With you as a hostage, we are sure to lure the Pharaoh into our trap. And he's the catch of the day! HAHAHAHAHA" the Rare hunters started loughing.

/_Oh no_!/ she was right. Marik and his gang was going to use her to get to Yami... And they were pretty sure he would come for her… That thought made her blush a little but she immediately came round. /_I am going to put him in danger! I can't stand this_/ she was desperate. But little could she do, as they took her to a room with a weird mechanical chair and strapped her on it.

"Hey let me out of this! What is this thing? Was are you trying to pull here?" she started screaming angrily.

The Rare Hunters smirked. "Don't worry little girl. We _will_ get to have our fun with you. Just not now. Now, master Marik has other plans for you" they started sarcastically loughing as they left the room.

Tea had started sweating. This was a terribly difficult situation. One that she couldn't get out of without help. Just as she was thinking that, a friendly figure showed up at the door.

"Joey! It's you! I'm so glad you're alright" she was truly relieved to see her friend there. /_Phewww… just in time_/ she thought.

"You've gotta help me out of this chair so we can escape this rat-hole" she shouted. But then she noticed something strange… There was something wrong with Joey's eyes… Plus he didn't move a muscle at her plead.

"Earth to Joey! Anybody home in there? Joey are you ok?" she said almost whispering now. "Joke's over. Come on Joey.. You're freaking me out here…"

Then, suddenly, Joey lifted his eyes from the ground and gave her the coldest look she had ever received. "I am not Joey you fool…" he said plainly.

/_What the_…/Tea was stunned. Not only his blank eyes, but his voice also sounded weird. How could this be? "That's not funny…" she started saying when all of a sudden, a huge dark figure appeared behind Joey. He had a Rare Hunter hood on but he looked quite different from the others.

"Don't worry Miss Gardner" he said plainly. "You will be joining him pretty soon". As he was saying that she saw a small glimmer behind his back. The last thing she remembered before losing her senses was feeling a sharp pain inside her head and a strong sense of… _intrusion_.

…..

"Look the Rare Hunter's hideout" Mokuba said getting up from his sit. Yami lifted himself as well and looked down. /_This is it!_/ he thought. /_No matter what happens down there, I'm not leaving without her_…/ He even had a plan… Little did he know, that the situation was beyond his grasp…

"As soon as we arrive, Mokuba will lead us to the warehouse where they're keeping my friends. We'll break in and get them out" he said firmly. /_I'll get her out…_/ he thought to himself. But Kaiba intercepted with his thoughts.

"Look Yugi. _I_ brought you here and _I_'m calling the shots. The first thing on my agenda is to track down the third Egyptian God card" he said with an evil grin on his face. "Then we can find your friends".

"Kaiba!" Yami shouted. "Joey and Tea are in danger! We must rescue them right away!". How much of a conceited idiot was that Kaiba? Yami couldn't bare the thought of Tea being in the hands of the Rare Hunters one more minute.

"We can split up after we land Yugi. It's clear our priorities are different" Kaiba said.

They continued arguing on the matter, until Mokuba interrupted them "Hey guys, I think I see someone on the pier… And it kinda looks like Joey.."

They landed the chopper and as soon as they descended Yami ran towards Joey. But… but _where was Tea_?!

"Welcome…" Joey said with a strange voice.

"Joey!" Yami shouted. But before he could utter another word Joey interrupted him.

"Not exactly. Joey's not present. He's gone away…". It was Marik! He had taken control over Joey's mind to lure him into a trap. Yami tried to snap him out of it but it seemed pointless. Eventually, Joey/Marik challenged him to a duel for the Millennium puzzle and his Egyptian God card.

"Joey! I'll set you free" Yami shouted. "Marik's power is feeble compared to our friendship!"

"You'll never free him" Joey smirked. "Unless you follow me Yugi"

/_What am I gonna do? This is clearly a trap. But if I don't play along, how am I gonna save Joey and Tea?... Tea_../ where was Tea? His heart started racing. If Joey was in this state.. What could have happened to Tea? Right at that moment, he heard her voice.

"Yugi… You better do exactly as I say" he turned around to face the most beautiful figure he had ever seen. It was Tea slowly descending the staircase of a huge trading boat. She looked ravishing as always…

But suddenly his heart stopped. Tea's eyes looked completely blank, as if… as if she wasn't in there anymore. His knees felt weak. If Tea had been harmed… If he had allowed her to be harmed…

"Oh no! Tea!" he prepared to run to her. "Hold on Yami" Yugi said.

Tea continued approaching. "This may come as an unpleasant surprise to you, but like Joey, Tea too is under my control. Surprised? Hahahaha". It was Marik again! He was toying with his emotions. Yami could have exploded right there.

How could this be? How could he have let Marik get to his precious Tea? It was that stupid Battle City tournament. He hadn't seen her the whole day. And he had let her prey to the hands of those dangerous creeps. He couldn't forgive himself if Tea got hurt. He felt homicidal. Yugi sensed his despair and anger. "Be careful Yami. We must proceed with caution…" he said.

Yami was furious but Yugi was right. He had to make an attempt to get Tea to safety before dealing with that Marik. Then he would get what was coming to him. "Marik leave her alone NOW!" he shouted.

"Well so much for staying calm" Yugi scolded him. But Yami was unstoppable. "She's done nothing to you! If you hurt her I will crush you!" he screamed again.

"Yami!" Yugi could feel all the anger building up inside him. He couldn't help but noticing that Yami was extremely sensitive when it came to Tea. At first he thought it was because of his own affections for her as his dear friend. But that was completely different. Yami's soul room was full of thoughts about her… However, none of them were even close to what Yugi felt about her…

/_I may need to step in here_/ he thought… But he was a little scared. After all, Yami was a powerful spirit. Yugi reassured himself that he could keep it together… But the power of _love_, exceeds common sense and throws it _right out the window_…

"Haha! Looks like I've pushed your button there Pharaoh" Marik said. "I knew this girl was the key to your demise. You're at my mercy".

Saying that, Tea walked right past Yami. He was desperate. He reached his hand but pulled it immediately back. He was lost. What was he going to do. The sight of Tea in that state, rendered his complex mind useless…

"Tea!" he run after her, only to face her cold look as they reached what seemed like a specially designed area at the pier. Joey was standing on the one side of it.

"Welcome to my very special dueling arena" Tea said.

Yami realized that there was no way out of this. No matter how much he hated to admit it, this situation was really out of his control. Joey and his beloved Tea were in great danger. He had to stall for time, and find a way to rescue them while dueling Joey.

"Alright let's duel!" he shouted. Tea moved closer to him and put one of a pair of shackles on his feet. When he felt her warmth that close to him, he wanted to hug her, to snap her out of that state. "Tea…" he whispered in her ear "please snap out of this..". Tea's eyes widened but Marik intercepted.

"Nice try Pharaoh!" he said. "I'll make sure you don't try this again".

/_Oh no! Could I have put her in more danger_?/ Yami was desperate again. He had to contain himself. No matter _how hard_ that was around Tea.

Marik went on to explain the rules of the duel through Joey. The first one to lose all his LP would drop to the bottom of the sea, while the other one would take the Egyptian God card and the Millennium Puzzle. Yami felt his blood boiling. How could he duel Joey with such high stakes? But with both their lives, and especially Tea's, on the line it seemed like he had no other option.

Yami noticed Tea walking to the other end of the arena. /_Where is she going? Why is she leaving my side?_/. Even if she was mind-controlled he wanted her right next to him. So that she would be close when he finally figured out a way to free her. And she would be there, _to fall in his arms_… He was determined now. He was not going to let Joey and Tea in this man's hands. He was going to save them, if it was the last thing he would do!

"If I win this duel will you set my friends free Marik?" he asked. How could this criminal be trusted though? He had already done too much. Marik's answer verified Yami's fears.

"You'll have to fish Joey out of the sea first" he said in a sickly content way. "And don't think I let little Tea out of the fun. But I'll get to her later…" he continued.

Yami noticed Tea sitting on a mechanical chair, and as soon as she sat, she was strapped on it, hands and feet.

Yami's head was on fire. /_What the… If I get that Marik.. He'll pray he'd never come up against me… If one hair of her head is harmed_../ "Yami… I'm upset about Tea as well, but this is not the way to help her. Please calm down.." Yugi was more afraid than he wanted to admit, but right now he had to keep Yami under control. His strong feelings for Tea were clearly clouding his judgment.

"You will lose Yugi". Marik said through Tea again. "And before that anchor drops, I'm getting your God card and your Millennium Puzzle".

"I will not let you get away with this Marik" Yami said in a really determined way. He then heard Kaiba's voice.

"As head of the Battle City tournament I demand that this duel be stopped NOW!"

Yami let himself feel relieved for a second. /_Thanks Kaiba…_/he thought.

Marik had the response right in his pocket. His plan was very thorough.

"Sorry but the duel will continue as planned" Tea suddenly said. Then Yami noticed a tow truck moving to her direction. On the truck hung a huge iron crate. The truck stopped when the crate was _right above Tea's head_. Yami froze!

"Tea! What is the meaning of this?" he was starting to lose it. He couldn't even think straight.

"Well, I've taken extra measures to make sure no one interferes" Marik said, pleased with himself. "If you attempt to stop this duel, the crate you see hanging over my head will fall. You wouldn't put poor Tea in danger would you"

/_This is it! I am not leaving a bone unbroken on his body when I find him_!/ Yami was infuriated. He might have kept his cool so far, but now the danger for Tea's life was too imminent. And there was nothing he could do. He was completely _helpless_! He wanted to mindcrush the hell out of that douche Marik, but how could he do it. It was Joey he was up against, while that pathetic coward was hiding in the shadows…

"Well, let's get on with the show" Marik continued. "But I wouldn't want little Tea to miss it". As he said that, Tea's blank eyes widened and she shook for a moment. Her head fell forward as if she had fainted. But in a split second she lifted it again. When she did, her eyes were back to their normal shinny blue color.

Yami couldn't help but look at her for a moment…

…

**A/N: Ok, this kiss turned out to be quite long so I had to split it in two chapter, but I have posted the next one too, I'd never leave the kiss in the middle :P:P. I decided to elaborate on the two lovebirds' thoughts because as I already said, their lives are in danger. How could one feel when he's about to lose the one he loves forever? Plus, in the anime there wasn't even a hug of relief. Except for Serenity and Joey that is :D. Btw how funny and cute is it when Tristan realizes he's in the friend zone XDXD. Back to the story: Now that Tea is about to wake up, what will happen? Flip the page XD**


	6. Kiss 4 I can't stand losing you(Part B)

A/N: Ok, this is the second and final part of the 4th first kiss between Tea and Atem/Yami. Enjoy and review pls ^_^.

**First Kiss No 4: Episodes 70-78 "I can't stand losing you.."** **(Part B) **

[_Actual titles: "Double Duel", "The Rescue" & "Friends till the end"_]

**A/N: Background. Yami was forced into as duel with mind-controlled Joey, while Tea faces imminent death if the duel is stopped… Tea was brainwashed too, but now she's waking up. Marik wants her to see the duel… That sick freak *angryface***

Tea experienced a sharp pain on her head and felt as if she had woken from a very deep sleep. She looked around her. The last thing she remembered was Joey's weird behavior and that Rare Hunter freak.. "Where am I" she wondered.

She saw the ocean, and up ahead there was…/_a duel?_/. Indeed, a duel was in progress.. "What's going on?" it took a moment for her to realize that she was strapped onto the same chair she had passed out on. "Hey I'm trapped!" she unconsciously said. Then she looked ahead again. Her heart stopped. The duel was…

"Yugi?...no _Yami_! Versus Joey?" she gasped for air. Before she could get her head around it, they had started dueling.

/_Oh no_!/ what she had feared was real. They did use her to trap _him_! And Joey's strange behavior… They had trapped Yami into dueling his best friend… And she was part of their plan. /_Ughhh, how could I have let this happen? Stupid Tea_…/ if he got hurt… /_I couldn't stand that… He's_../ before she finished her thought she realized in terror that Joey, had attacked Yami's life points directly with a magic card. He gasped in pain.

"Yami!" she screamed in agony. She noticed the Kaiba brothers watching from the side. "What in the world is going on here? Why is Ya…Yugi dueling against Joey" she yelled. "Is this some sort of freaky dream" but she knew the she would probably not like the answer. It was clear to her, by experience that Yugi and Yami attracted all kind of weirdoes with their Millennium Puzzle…

Mokuba was the one who answered. "I'm afraid not Tea. Some guy named Marik brainwashed Joey cause he's after Yugi's God card!"

"Kaiba! You gotta stop this duel _now_" but Kaiba wouldn't even look at her. Suddenly she heard the goon that was in the tow truck. "Hey you! Stop making a fuss or you're done!" and he pointed his finger above her head.

Tea looked upwards to see a huge crate over her head./_Oh great_…/ she thought. "You wouldn't do it! You don't have the guts!" she shouted straight at the guy's face without a second thought. She could be foolishly brave like that. But again, the thought that they had used her to blackmail Yami… /_Ughhh_/ she wanted to slap herself for being so weak… She decided right there…

"Look Kaiba" she turned to Seto. "You _have_ to stop this duel right away…"she started saying. She looked at Yami for a split second and she continued "Forget about me! I'll be fine!"

….

Yami felt his heart stop! He turned and looked at Tea!/_What is she doing?.../._ She was willing to jeopardize her life to save them.. To save _his_ sorry ass… That was the kind of brave woman she was… Yami felt a warmth in his heart… A warmth that was caused by the thought of Tea's kind nature.. She was perfect to him as a being. Strong, smart, independent, kind and generous. Let alone _beautiful_. He turned his gaze to Kaiba…

"Kaiba…" he said in his strict tone. Although he should have known that Seto wasn't that much of an idiot to risk Tea's life, he couldn't help but fear for her… Again, his feelings were coming before his reason…

He continued his difficult duel with Joey, glimpsing at Tea's direction every now and then to make sure she was doing ok. He was used to her being on the sidelines when he dueled, to cheer him on and give him courage, but this was a completely different situation. She couldn't cheer him against Joey of course, and that life threatening crate above her made him short of breath…

Joey attacked him with yet another "Hinotama" magic card and wiped out another 500 of his LP. "Yami! Nooooo!" he heard Tea's sweet voice yell in agony… /_I refuse to let her worry about me any longer_/ he thought in anger. But the situation, as said before, was beyond him…

"You will not get away with your plan Marik!" he shouted. Yugi could feel his distress building up. He could feel the pain in his heart, his agony… His fear for Joey, but mostly, for _Tea_… He had already decided to step up. Yami had taken the shots for him long enough. He invoked him through the Puzzle…

"Yami, I need to talk to you".

"What is it Yugi?"

"I can feel the pain in your heart partner… And I can tell that your feelings for Tea are clouding your thoughts… I fear for your safety… Plus, I think I need to fight _this_ battle on my own.. Up until now, I've let you or my friends do the hard work. It's time to step up. I can help Joey snap out of it…". Yami was reluctant. Sure, Yugi was right in a way, but Tea's life was on the line here. Could he let someone else handle it? His mind was a mess.

Yugi finally convinced him. "I'll save them Yami. I promise!" he said as they exchanged souls…

/_Please… Save her for me Yugi…/_Yami thought as he transported back in the Puzzle. /_If things get hectic I can take over again…_/

The duel kept on getting harder and harder. Tea's sweet voice was giving Yugi the courage he needed and Yami…more and more _uneasiness_. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to go back and fight for her… One wrong move and she… He couldn't even imagine a life without Tea… That life would not be worth living… It was decided!

"Yugi" he said firmly but in a warm tone of voice. "This is getting too dangerous! I'm taking over!" but Yugi's answer surprised him, to say the least…

"_No_! I can't let you Yami. I need to do this myself" he said as he took the puzzle off his neck. "But Yugi!" Yami protested.

"You have to trust me Yami.."

"No! YUGI!" but his partner could no longer hear him. Yami found himself in his soul room. He was desperate. He ran towards Yugi's soul room but the door was locked.

All he could do was hear the duel from a distance. He felt his pain and anger building up. His loved ones were in serious danger and there was nothing he could do but stand and watch… or hear, was more like it… He _had_ to trust on Yugi… His beloved Tea's life was in his hands…

…..

"Yugi!" Tea shouted. /_What is he doing?_/. Yugi had changed places with Yami just a minute ago. Tea had felt Yami turn around and check on her during the whole duel… She blushed at the thought of him being worried about her, although it was only natural. I mean, a giant crate was hanging over her head ready to squash her. It would be normal for him to worry about _anyone_ at that situation.

But seeing through the eyes of someone _in love_, you tend to notice all those little things that make your heart beat a tad bit faster for no real reason…. /_Foolish Gardner, what are you thinking about at a time like this…_/she had scolded herself. But now he was not on the battlefield any more. It was Yugi who had the wheel now.

And he was… He was handing the Puzzle, ergo, Yami to …/_Joey?!_/ It must have been his plan to bring Joey back to normal, but she couldn't help but fear for the safety of her _loved_ one… Joey was possessed by Marik.. What if… what if he destroyed the Puzzle? What came next verified her assumptions once again…

Marik ordered Joey to throw the Puzzle into the ocean! "No! Joey!" she screamed, tears forming in her eyes. /_He can't! If he does then Yami will_…/ as she was about to sink into sorrow, she noticed that Joey had stopped. Had he snapped out of it? He just couldn't drop Yugi's Puzzle in the ocean. /_That's it Joey_!/ She thought, with tears of joy ready to form now. /_No, I won't cry… I'll be strong for him_/.

….

The duel went on and Yami could do nothing but watch. Fortunately, sort of speak, he had visual now. It seemed that Yugi had passed the Puzzle to Joey. The bond that Yami and Joey shared must have made it possible for him to overcome the fact that the item was not in his chosen's possession.

The duel was at a turning point. Yugi's gesture had given Joey a fighting chance. He had started to snap out of Marik's brainwashing. But things were too dangerous yet. And that horrible crate was _still_ hanging over Tea's head…

Meanwhile, a strange bunch including, Tristan, Mai Valentine, Joey's sister and… Duke Devlin (!) had arrived at the scene. Serenity was about to get her bandages off. /_Great_!/ Yami thought. /_The last thing Joey needs is Serenity seeing him like that_/.

As if she had read his mind, Tea shouted. "Serenity! Please don't take you bandages off yet! You have to trust me on this! Ok?" Yami half smiled. That was Tea! Strong and brave to the last minute. That's what he had come to _love_ about her most.

When everyone was discouraged, she was brave! She had a will strong enough to ignore difficulties. Even now that she was without a doubt in the most dangerous position, she continued to fight for the others… Yami raised his hand and virtually _caressed_ the image of Tea in front of him…

Then once more, she surprised him with her courage and her foolishness. "Hey guys!" she screamed. "Time is running out!" she turned to Kaiba.

"Hey Kaiba, _forget about me_! Just save Ya..Yugi and Joey"…

Yami didn't know if he should smile or cry. That girl was ready to give her life for him, and all he could do was watch from the sidelines. His frustration and restlessness were indescribable…

"If you don't do something soon, they'll both be in major trouble!" she continued. "Please just do it! I'll be fine". Her eyes were glimmering as tears were forming in them. "Oh no, if she continues like that she might even convince them…" Yami was beyond reason again. He started shouting.

"JOEY! HEY JOEY! _CAN YOU HEAR ME_?" but in vain. No one could hear him in there. He was all _alone_…

Just as he thought that, he felt a strange change in Joey's soul. He was seriously snapping out of his trance! This was a good sign. With the combined powers of Joey and Yugi, Tea was in a much better position. His heart stopped racing if only for a second.

Then he felt a pinch in his chest. Marik's Millennium item was used at his full potential. Yami could feel its power.

But Joey defeated even that! The will of his heart and his love for his friends were stronger.

Yugi stopped Joey's last attack and the duel was now in his hands… Yami heard his favourite voice in agony once more…

"Guys you'd better do something soon or…or you're _both_ in trouble!"

Things were looking pretty shabby and to top that all, one of Kaiba's choppers showed up over the field and started flying towards Tea!

"What the hell is that Kaiba doing? Marik was clear! If we tried anything weird…UGHH! You idiot!" Yami was talking to himself now. As if that wasn't enough, the Rare Hunter that was in charge of _Tea's life_ gave him the final blow…

"Where did that come from? I warned you! Time to drop the crate!" and he reached for the button on his remote control! Yami lost it.

"NOOOOO! TEA! NOOO!" before he knew it he fell on his knees, his arms pounding on the door of Yugi's soul room and tears forming in his eyes… "It can't be! I can't lose you like that!" he shouted.

He was so absorbed in his desperation that he failed to notice Kaiba's _card/chopper/ninja maneuver_ that had managed to stop that duffus Rare Hunter in his tracks and secure Tea's safety.

When he lifted his teary eyes, he noticed that Tea was in one piece, Kaiba was standing next to her and the crate over her head was gone for good! Yami felt his heart fly from his chest like "Shinning Friendship" and flying circles aroud him playing the harp! Tea… His beloved Tea was safe. "_Thank you_ Kaiba…" he whispered.

He straightened himself up and silently headed to his soul room. He would wait there. Until everything was over. Until he could come out and be with _her_. He would just wait patiently. Joey and Yugi were sure to make things right, and give him the chance to see Tea, to talk to her… To _hold_ her…

And he was right. About less than an hour later, he felt Yugi's presence once again. Joey had returned the puzzle to him…

"Ok.." Yami thought. "It's time I stepped out"… He heard Yugi's voice… "I owe a big thanks to you Yami. You trusted me enough to let me handle this on my own.." he said in gratitude.

Yami phewwwed in relief. Luckily for him no one was there to witness his _collapse_ when he thought Tea was done for. It was true he was a strong and powerful being, but before Tea, he was _just a man_…

"Sorry Yugi, but I need to take over for a while" he said, and without waiting for Yugi's answer, he exchanged places with him.

Yugi of course knew what were Yami's _intentions_. He grinned, stepped into his soul room and closed the door behind him.

…..

Tea was standing next to the dock looking at the vast ocean. Less than an hour ago she was one step from hell… Until… _Kaiba_, of all people, had saved her life. /_I knew he wasn't as much of a creep as he wants us to think he is._./ she half-smiled. She turned to look at the others, and noticed… Yugi's puzzle shine briefly…

"Thank you Kaiba…" _his_ deep voiced echoed in the air. That was unmistakably Yami, who had stepped out. Tea's heart started beating like crazy… When she was trapped on that chair she had thought that she would never get to hear _that_ voice ever again. She almost felt tears of joy ready to come out.

But she contained herself. She had to. This was only the beginning. The perils of the near future were much too important for her to burden Yami even more with her feelings. She would have to wait. She would wait for him _forever_…

Tristan's voice woke her from her trance. "Hey, who's up for a burger?" he said as if nothing had happened. As if they hadn't been dueling for their lives just a minute ago. Tea couldn't help but smile… They were still a group of teenagers… Everyone was thrilled at Tristan's suggestion. The started walking to the north side of the docks in order to find their way out. The sun had just set and it was already _dark_.

Tea started walking to the others, when she felt a firm grip on her wrist. She turned around to face…_Yami_. She hadn't noticed that he had stayed behind. The feeling of his touch was incredibly warm. She felt the warmth climbing from her heart to her face which instantly turned red.

"Tea…" he said almost whispering. "Wait… I want to talk to you." He looked straight to her eyes with his breathtaking amethyst eyes. They were dark and commanding… How could she say no to him? She looked at the others' direction, as she felt kind of embarrassed about her situation.

He picked up on that. Without taking his gaze from her, he said "Don't worry, we'll catch up to them". The evening ocean breeze was beginning to chill their skin. Tea was shuddering, although it was probably _not_ because of the cold….

Yami noticed and with a swift move he _pulled_ her behind one of the crates on the docks. Tea skipped a beat as he put his arms around her. Everything happened in a moment. His eyes were looking straight into her heart with the warmest look he ever had. He had an expression of…_longing_ on his face. His breathing was deep and kind of rush…

"I don't want you to be cold," he said without even blinking. Tea was seriously without heartbeats… "In fact, I don't _ever_ want you to be in discomfort, or in danger… _ever_ again…" he continued, hugging her even more passionately. "Today, I feared as I have never feared in my life before Tea… I feared for _you_."

"Yami"… Despite the cold, Tea's face was on fire, and so was the rest of her body… The man she had dreamt about almost as long as she could remember was holding her in his arms, telling her how much she meant to him. What could ever top _that_ moment? What happened next, gave her the answer…

"I can't stand losing you Tea…" he said leaning a little closer to her. "I have waited for this much too long… I want to spend _the rest of my life_ protecting you" And as soon as he said that last phrase, he softly put his left hand on the back of her head and intertwined his fingers with her hair…

He slightly pushed her face toward his… The last thing Tea saw was him closing his eyes and a pink blush covering his cheeks. Then she closed her eyes and indulged in _the kiss_… His lips were soft as silk and in his hug was the warmest place in the whole universe… In that cold evening at the docks, Tea's life was fulfilled… She could never lose that feeling…

**A/N: I did my best here. I wish my boyfriend had given me this as a first kiss… Hmmm, now that I think about it mine was not too shabby either. I may use it as an idea in another chapter *dreamy*. Well *snaps out of it*, how was that? Please review when you read it. I know it was long, but there is a whole story before every kiss and especially the first kiss *****ω*****, so yeah, I did not elaborate on the duels but I used the moments I thought should be mentioned, so let me know how I did pretty please. I'll be back with another kiss soon ^_^. *smooch* **


	7. Kiss 5 Electricity Flows

**A/N: *smooch* **Did you miss me? I guess not. Except for** The Man with Imagination (echos), StitchedHeart, DarkAngelBattis and 101ghettogirl****. **Thank you guys for the reviews. Here's a virtual hug *hug* ^_^. Anyway. I'm back with another kiss, completely different than the others and you'll see why. This chapter is shorter and it happens during episode 97 of the Battle City arc, when Yugi (then Yami) and Tea arrive at the roof of the blimp while looking for missing Bakura. There, Tea refuses to go to her room when Yami asks her and she actually gives him a lecture on how he always leaves her out of the action (it's only to protect you, you silly…:P). I must say most of the dialogues I used come from the Japanese version cause they make Tea sound a lot more badass :P. Anyway, there's a clear sky, a shadow game fluffy cloud, an angry-cute girl and a stunned love-struck boy.. What more do you need for a first kiss? :P Oh by the way in this episode cuteness prize goes to Kaiba who has covered sleeping little Mokuba with his doctor-robe like coat *_*. Anyway, the soundtrack for this kiss has to be this: www youtube com watch?v=80ZTTd51r28 (It's **Robin Beck "The First Time**). Totally listen to it while reading this kiss… I'll let you enjoy now..** Reviews please ^_^.**

**P.S. Thank you for 1000 views ^_^**

DISCLAIMER: I don't own YuGiOh or any of the characters.

**First Kiss No 5: Episode 97 Electricity flows with the very first kiss **

[_actual title "Showdown in the Shadows (Part 2)"]_

**A/N: Background. Everyone is in Kaiba's blimp for the Battle City Finals. Mai has lost to Marik and is in a coma (shadow realm), Bakura is still out from the first duel with Yami and Kaiba has defeated Ishizu. Tea to no one's knowledge, has the Millennium Ring and is semi-controlled by the original Marik who has been banished from his body by Yami Marik (lol the confusion :D). Tea wakes up in Bakura's room without knowing how she got there.**

Tea woke up and her head felt really heavy. She opened her eyes and looked around… Was this…Bakura's room? /_What am I doing here_?/. She noticed that the bed was empty…

"And where's Bakura?"… But wait a minute.. Last thing she remembered she was in Mai's room… And then, blackout… /_Oh, no… Not this again_…/ she thought.

However she realized that Bakura had gone missing and that was a really bad sign. With all the freaky stuff that had been going on lately, anything was on the table… What if the evil spirit of the Millennium Ring had escaped again? What if Marik had gotten hold of him…

"Oh, no.. Bakura!"

The only person she could think of going to for help was Yami.. He would know what to do… He always had answers… She stopped for a minute… She remembered when he had stood in front of the Winged Dragon of Ra's fierce attack in order to shield Joey and Mai from it…

Tea clenched her fists to her chest… "_That_ idiot… I thought I was going to lose _him_ forever"

"_He_ always goes and does such reckless things…". But then she sighed in relief that he had actually withstood that attack… And he was safe and sound… "He is pretty strong…"

She blushed and bit her lower lip… Her heart started racing at the thought of his fierce look and his strong arms… /_What are you thinking you idiot Tea… Those are Yugi's arms…_/. She tried to shake the thought of the Pharaoh's physical beauty from her head.

Her thoughts were dark again. She dreaded the idea that something might happen to him… That he may have to fight Marik next… Why was this craziness in their lives all of a sudden…

Why couldn't they just be a bunch of ordinary teenagers, minding their own business and walking around life with the only care in their mind being school and their friends… No Super villains, no crazy situations, no Shadow Realm, no Millennium Items…

She regretted that last thought instantly… If there were no Millennium Items them… There wouldn't be _him_ either… How could she possibly imagine her life without him…

Her mind was pretty confused… The idea of being attracted to a 5000 Pharaoh trapped in a puzzle pendant was adding even more to the weirdness of the situation.. However, one thing was for sure… The idea of losing him forever… _Terrified_ her…

As she was sunk deep in her thoughts she almost missed Yugi's room. "Here it is".

…..

Yami was sitting on the side of the bed where Yugi was sleeping. He could not find it in his heart to relax… After all that had happened… First Bakura...Then he almost lost Joey… Now Mai… Who could be next?

"_No_!" he almost woke Yugi up with his cry… The person that came to mind… The next one that could be in trouble was…/_Tea_/…

"I will not let that happen… _Never_ _again_…"

His thought flashed back to the pier duel… Where her life was on the line… When he almost _lost_ her… And it was all because of him…

"I can't… No, I_ won't_ allow anything to harm Tea again…" he was speaking to himself… Yugi was in too deep a sleep to hear him… Or so he thought…

"Not Tea… She's too _important_… And I…" he clenched his fists… "I jeopardized her life… I allowed them to get their hands on _her_… On my precious Tea… I will never let that happen again…"

Suddenly he heard a knock on the door.

"Yugi wake up!"

It was her. Speak of the devil… Only she was no devil.. She was an angel…

"Tea!" he yelled. But the only one who could hear him was snoring just beside him.

"Yugi! Come on! Hello! Yuugi!" she continued shouting and knocking the door.

Oh no! Could she be in trouble… She sounded so worried.

"Yugi! Hey Yugi! Wake up man! It's Tea! Something's wrong. WAKE UP"

Yugi slowly opened his eyes and blinked. "Who is it?"

/_It's Tea you goofball, I just screamed it to your_ _face_/ Yami thought anxious for Yugi to get the door.

"You _do_ know I can hear you when you're thinking too right?" Yugi said in a teasing tone of voice.

Yami gulped… "Well… Just open the door Yugi. Something might be wrong"

Yugi smiled and rubbed his eyed with his hands. "Tea. Just a minute" he said loudly.

He got up and opened the door.

"Hey how about I take over from here? You know, if something's wrong…" Yami said also anxiously…

"Just relax Yami. I'm sure everything is ok. But if there's a problem I promise you I'll let you take the wheel… Geez…"

Yugi walked sluggishly to the door and pressed the button for the automated opening of the door. After the door opened he saw Tea's face and she looked really concerned. Yami was immediately alarmed… /_Something's wrong… Something's definitely wrong_/…

/_Keep it cool Yami_…/ Yugi advised. /_Let's hear her first_/. He turned to Tea.

"It's kind of late Tea. What is it? Can't this wait till morning?"

/_Seriously Yugi? Seriously?/_ Yami was furious. Was he being like that for real? Or was it doing it on purpose in order to tease Yami?

Tea was kind of puzzled too. Her eyes widened. /_She looks so cute when she's surprised like that_/ Yami thought.

/_Still listening_…/Yugi said…

However when Tea had to say something, she did.

"I was just in Bakura's room… He's missing" she looked terrified.

"Oh no!" Yugi gasped, immediately waking up.

"I told you something was going …" Yami stopped before he finished his sentence..

/_Wait… we left Tea in Mai's room_/ he started thinking.

/_WHAT WAS SHE DOING IN BAKURA'S ROOM_?/.

/_Could you please stop yelling in my mind Yami?_/But the spirit was really restless.

"Let's switch places Yugi. _I'll _help Tea look for Bakura…" he almost sounded angry…

"Tea wait. I'll grab a jacket and come look for Bakura with you." Yugi said entering his room again.

"Good, I'm coming out" Yami stated. But Yugi had other plans.

"No you're not. Until you calm down a bit… You know how Tea is. She worries about _everyone_.. And Bakura has been out for 2 days now. She probably went to check up on him… What is wrong with you thinking like _that_?" Yugi scolded/teased him.

"Yeah I guess that's how it is…" Yami felt a little embarrassed. "I don't know what got into me".

Oh but he _did_ know… He had noticed at school, how Ryu seemed to be kind of fond of Tea… But then again who wasn't… She was awesome… /_Why the hell am I thinking like that at a time like this_?/

/_Because you like her_/ Yugi interfered. Yami felt even more embarrassed. /_But now's not the time for that. If I sense danger, you immediately take over ok_?/ Yugi reassured him.

/_Ok_…/. Yami still felt uneasy though…

….

When Yugi was the one who opened the door, Tea was a little disappointed… She always hopes to see Yami's _captivating_ eyes instead of Yugi's babyface… /_What on earth are you thinking Gardner… At a time like this…_/

As soon as Yugi got out of the room they started searching for Bakura at the blimp's corridors… Yugi took a deep breath..

"Uhmm…. Tea?"

"Yes?"

"What were you doing in Bakura's room?" Yugi asked and blushed a little bit. The question surprised Tea.

"Uhmm…"

/_Why does Yugi care why I was in Bakura's room… Or maybe…Nah_…/

"Well… I don't really know Yugi." She answered. "I just woke up there… And he was missing.. So I came to get you.."

"Oh ok…" Yugi answered still blushing a little bit. /_See? Nothing to worry about Yami_/

"What do you mean '_nothing to worry about'_ Yugi? Did you not hear that she doesn't remember how she got there? Who tells me that evil mind-controlling creep Marik didn't take advantage of her again? Ughhh!" Yami was really upset.

/_Please calm down Yami. Tea is safe and sound here with us_/ Yugi reassured him again.

…..

They had been searching for Bakura for about an hour all over the blimp but there was no sign of him…

"I don't get it Yugi.. We've looked all over but there's no sign of Bakura anywhere… Even in this huge blimp he couldn't have disappeared…" her face expression showed genuine worry.

"Especially not with that frail body of _his_…" she continued…

Yami felt a pinch of jealousy in his heart… /_Why at a time like this?... I have to keep it together_…/

Yugi surprised them both. "Wait a sec… What if Marik is behind this?"

Tea's face frowned even more. "I say we check the arena…" Yugi added. "I have a weird feeling"

They walked to the elevator and ascended to the roof of the blimp. All the time they were in the elevator, Yami was trying to conceal the fact that he was noticing Tea.

She looked so breathtakingly cute when she was worried… /_And generally_…/. She looked so fragile… so precious…/_How could I not fear for her safety?_…/ Yami was pretty sure he was doing a lousy job hiding behind his finger but Yugi was discreet, so that was enough for him for now…

Suddenly he heard the hatch door open. They had reached their destination. Yami snapped out of his Tea trance as soon as she stated

"Oh, no Yugi… Look at all that fog… That's…"

He turned around to see.. "Tea that's not fog… That's a shadow game…"

"That means… Bakura's in a shadow game?" Tea got terrified again…

/_Ok partner that's it, I'm taking over_/ Yami did not wait for Yugi's consent.

The Millennium Puzzle shone for a second and then _he_ appeared. Tea's heart skipped a beat.

He looked pretty serious. Even at the situation they were in now, she couldn't help but feel a little rush every time she saw _him_…

"Bakura's probably in there…" he said with his deep, hypnotizing voice.

"And the opponent is probably Marik…" then he suddenly turned to her.

"_Tea_…"

She blushed merely as he said her name.

"This is a very dangerous situation… I don't want you near this thing! Please go back to your room."

Before he even said that last word Tea had turned around and nodded negatively.

"_No_!" she stated confidently…almost angry.. with her big blue eyes fixed on him.

"Tea!" he was surprised to say the least. Although he had to admit that was a side of her that was even more attractive than the usual Tea…

"You're always like _that_!" she complained. "Every time there's an emergency I am excluded" her face had turned red. She was unstoppable.

"I don't know why you keep leaving me out of everything!"

"Tea…" he now felt admiration along with a warm feeling coming up from his chest.

"I'm not clueless you know! I know all about the Millennium Items and your lost memory Yami" she was really emotional. No she would not stand down this time. She would not let him endanger himself while she's safe in her room..

"Tea, I…" he moved a little closer to her. He was mesmerized by that powerful decisive Tea… The evening breeze swayed her hair over her remarkably shiny eyes… She looked like a goddess with the moon reflecting on her skin…

"You what? Why don't you let me help you? Why do you enjoy making me feel so useless? I want to help you Yami!"her eyes were watery.

He moved a little bit closer. He put his arms on her shoulders.

/_Oh no… Don't lose your cool Tea… Not now… When he's so close_../

"Tea" he looked her straight into the eyes. "I know you're not clueless. You are _anything_ _but_" he hesitated…

"However, Marik and his evil plans have everything to do with _me_… My past… And now… He's targeting my friends…" this time he almost glared at her..

"I will not allow you to get in harm's way because of me Tea!" his heart started beating really fast and he felt a warm rush that not even the cold sky breeze could cool..

Tea felt a shiver down her spine.. But she was determined… She would not let him fight another fight alone…

"You listen to me Yami" she grabbed his face with her palms… His cheeks were really warm.

Both their breaths were fast, anxious and with no rhythm….

"I will not let you play hero again! I _refuse_ to let you take all the damage just to save _me_!" her face had turned red. The tension was too much. It wasn't just her resolve… It was the fact that he was really close to her…

Yami could feel the warmth of her body… He looked into her sparkling with determination blue eyes… /_This woman… She's mine_/. Every other thought was clear from his mind…

"I am not some weak damsel in distress… I am coming with y…" before she could finish her sentence, he grabbed her head and with force he pulled her toward him. His lips landed on her with such passion, that she almost felt numb…

With his free hand he grabbed her waist fiercely joined her body with his.. His demanding grip made Tea shiver with pleasure… She felt completely submissive. His forceful kiss opened her lips with practically zero effort and his tongue wondered in her mouth for some seconds before he started sucking the juice out of her… Tea could do nothing but indulge.. Time had stopped on that blimp roof for her..

Then, as suddenly as he grabbed her, he pulled away from her leaving her unsatisfied and almost faint. They both gasped for air. He looked away..

"I'm sorry Tea… I don't know what got into me.. Please forgive me.." he said in remorse…

Then he turned away and started walking towards the purple nightmare of the shadow game… Tea, still breathless, fell on her knees, her whole face covered by the redness of pleasure, with her fingertips touching her lips, the lips he had just so vigorously claimed for his own, watched him walk away and vanish in the shadows…

**A/N: Finally a T-rated kiss… And a very dominative Yami … XD. It took me a while huh? :P. This time it wasn't deliberate, it was a spur-of- the- moment-the –world-might-end-tomorrow kind of thing. I hope you like it. It was shorter than the other but far more passionate. Also I went a little comic on Yami. The chapter was shorter, but so was the opportunity for this kiss. Also this is the first chapter where I don't finish with the sensation of the kiss but what happens immediately after (Actually the spirit of the ring takes over Tea, but try mind controlling this girl after that…) Please let me know how I did *puppy eyes*. The sketch for this kiss will be uploaded within the week on DA I hope. Thank you for reading.. Smooch you later :P**


	8. Kiss 6 Hidden Feelings

A/N: Well, it took me a little while because I had some projects for the university to finish, but I'm back! The thing is I have tons of ideas and no time to write *pout*. On to the next topic: thank you so very much for your reviews on my last chapter! I will take the time and answer each of them now, cause I was really happy to receive them ^_^.

First of all **The Man with Imagination: **Yes it was dark, shadowy actually XD. Lol I don't think I can actually squeeze 50 kisses out of it, it's more of a symbolic title really, but who knows.. I don't, I'm still searching :P

**TheRealContestshippingPrincess: **Thank you :) Yes, I really enjoyed making Yami sound funny. And lol definitely Marik would say something like that and I imagine Bakura saying something like "Drat! I thought she was my love interest… You know sharing the ring and all!" XDXD

**101ghettogirl: **Wow you're enthusiastic! I love that. Thank you for your kind words and for your wishes on mother's day ^_^

**StitchedHeart: **yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes! There will be more :D:D. At your services :P

**port rocks, CelestKirin, DarkAngelBattis, ByakuyaxRukiaKuchikifan**: Thank you all so much! :3 I will do my best!

And finally, **Becca-Loves-Yuge: **Wow! Thank you so very much for taking the time to read my story and give me feedback on it. I really appreciate it! So to answer your reviews one by one:

_**Kiss#1**_: I actually believe that this is the chapter where Yami is most in character than all of the chapters I've written. Maybe it's his thoughts that were a little off for you, but I guess that was my interpretation of the date.

_**Kiss#4**_: Yeah, you got me there, but it was kind of deliberate, as you have to admit those episodes in the actual anime were kind of soap-operish :P

_**Kiss#5**_: Thank you. I too think it was my best so far. Well, I don't really have a problem with saliva, but the word "juice" was more of a euphemism, as in a kiss as passionate as that the whole body takes part, and not just the mouth and saliva. I meant it more as "vital energy" XDXD. Anyway, again your comments are much appreciated and please keep them coming ^_^.

Generally, I would like to say that what I'm going for in this story, besides satisfying my need for a kiss between my favorite YuGiOh couple (XD), is variety. It would be boring for me if all the kisses had the same feel, so I will "play" with situations in order to cover as more possibilities and manipulate the facts. However as I've said, all my alterations will have no effect on the actual action storyline. I think I've accomplished that so far :). This is one loooong author's note but well, I had to have it so forgive me.

On to the chapter now. I wasn't going to have a kiss here, but then again, I saw the Japanese version XDXD. Actually it gives more of an opportunity for a TeaxYugi kiss but I manipulated the situation a bit :P. It takes place in the virtual world, during and right after Tea's duel with Nightmare Penguin, where The Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl team up. In this episode Yugi keeps talking and worrying about Tea and she keeps calling for him… A hug is also involved :O. Well anyway, enough talk. **Enjoy and please, please review ^_^**.

**First Kiss No 6: Episodes 102-103 The Hidden Feelings **

[_actual title "Freeze Play" (Parts 1 & 2)]_

**Background. The guys have been forced into the cyberworld by Noah and they have been separated and forced to duel the "Big Five", Kaiba's former associates who want their bodies in order to escape to the real world. Tea was abducted by a bunch of Hitotsu-Me Giants and has just escaped them, while Yugi and Yami have won their duel and are looking for the others and specifically, for her.**

Tea fell on the ground and gasped for air, relieved that she had finally escaped those creepy creatures.. She was so very exhausted from running from them, she felt faint.

"I just can't take it anymore… I need a nap… Just a small one…" as she was talking to herself, she lost her senses, and fell asleep.

Suddenly, she found herself in her school uniform, in her classroom with Yugi... That was a relief… She approached Yugi and told him enthusiastically:

"Hey Yugi, I had a dream that we were trapped in the virtual world and we had to duel these five old guys to escape"

"Ahhmm… I hate to break this to you Tea, but this is the dream… And when you wake up, you're gonna need this card, so remember it. It's the Dark Magician Girl. Remember there was a Broadway Play about this card a few years ago?.." Yugi answered.

"Uhmm… Was there?" Tea was confused… Was this really a dream? It felt so real.

"Well not really, but this is your dream so just go with it" Yugi said playfully.

Then Tea found herself in a huge theater, where a performance was being held… A performance by… The Dark Magician Girl!

Out of the blue, the monster turned her wand toward Tea and within seconds, Tea was wearing the Dark Magician Girl outfit.

"You've gotta be kidding me! I'm actally…" before she finished her phrase, she felt a strong force drawing her upwards. It was her own wand.

"WHOAAAA!" she found herself levitating over the audience and joining The Dark Magician Girl in her act.

/_Wow, this is scary… But so awesome_!/ she thought, when her attention was caught by a familiar face in the audience.

"Yugi" she yelled with no hesitation.. But he wasn't alone. Right next to him there was another familiar face… It was him… _The other Yugi_… They were sitting side by side, looking at her with admiration. Yugi's eyes were so excited, like a little child's. But _his_ eyes… They were deep and dark and his look was far from childish excitement.. It was like he was thinking something like "_Hmmmm.. Interesting_"…

/_After all he's not the kind of person who would be excited over silly things_/ Tea thought and blushed. She felt a small pinch in her stomach at the thought of him admiring her. He was far too mysterious and dark to her. She still hadn't completely cleared the relationship between Yugi and Yami in her mind… But there they were, separately, next to each other… The difference was so _obvious_ to her now…

"Yu…gi" she whispered as she was woken from her nap by a soft, humid touch on her cheek. She opened her eyes only to see… a penguin! The same penguin that had actually saved her life…

…

Meanwhile, Yugi, having defeated Gansley, the former vice-president of KaibaCorp, and his Deep Sea Worrior, saving his body from being taken over by him, had found a virtual door in the middle of the forest. After opening it he found himself running in what seemed to be an endless digital corridor.

"Huh-huh-huh" Yugi panted while bending on his knees. "Does this corridor ever end? It seems that we've been running forever.."

"Yugi! We don't have time to waste. Those guys are after our bodies _and_.." Yami said, but he paused before finishing his sentence.

"I'd like to see you do the running.." Yugi protested while still trying to catch his breath.

Yami widened his eyes. "I don't mind taking over if you want. But we have to hurry… The girls..."

Yugi stood up. "I'm sorry. It's ok. You're right". Yugi flashbacked to their duel with Gansley.

****flashback****

_**Gansley in the form of the Deep Sea Warrior had just emerged from a lake when he started explaining the rules of the game. His final phrase, was what made Yugi's blood freeze…**_

"_**And we get to escape to the real world with in your bodies while you're stuck here in this virtual nightmare!"**_

"_**Does this mean that whoever wins the duel, gets a body to return to?" Yugi asked terrified. **_

"_**Exactly! You're not as dumb as you look little Yugi…" Gansley hurried to answer contently.**_

_**Then suddenly, Yugi felt the spirit's presence. He was really upset, Yugi could tell.**_

"_**Partner… This is really bad… If the other members of the big five are after our friends' bodies, that means they're after the girls too… Tea…and Serenity are in danger!" his look was more like angry than upset and he clenched his fists.**_

"_**You're right! Oh no.. And the girls are not duelists!" Yugi now shared Yami's anger.**_

"_**Serenity has Tristan and Duke with her" Yami added, sounding even more upset "But Tea… Tea is all alone in this virtual hell… And she is completely inexperienced in dueling…" Yugi couldn't help but notice the tension in Yami's words. Then abruptly, his other self, declared in determination. **_

"_**This must stop! We have to end this quickly and run to her!.. To them!" and with no further warning, he took over the duel…**_

****end of flashback** **

"We have to find the others! Their duels may begin soon. And no matter what Noah does, he won't stop us from saving our friends! Let's go" Yugi announced and started running immediately.

….

In the meantime Tea had been led to a huge building full of penguins where a member of the big five, Crump, in the form of the duel monster Nightmare Penguin, had challenged her to a duel, more like _trapped_ her into it. He had done that after exposing some pretty embarrassing facts about her life… Things that even she didn't know.

And now she was standing on a huge pillar of ice, freezing cold all around her, and a line of duel monsters cards passing in front of her, for her to choose her deck.

/_This is completely surreal… How am I supposed to choose when I've never even seen those cards before… Aww man… If only Yugi was here… He'd know what to do_…/. She thought Yugi's name but in reality, the person that was spinning in her mind was someone else… It was Yami… _He_ was the powerful duelist in her mind…

But _why_?.. Why was he in her dream? And why was she thinking about him in random moments like.. when she was about to cross that bridge with those one-eyed giants behind her…

****flashback****

_**She had been running for a few minutes now, but those monsters were still after her… Suddenly she stopped. In front of her there was an air bridge and under it there was a big river… It was way to high…**_

"_**Aww man! I could really use my friends right now…" she talked to herself. With everyone else next to her she would have nothing to fear… She would cross that bridge in a heartbeat.. Then she looked at her hand… There was no mark anymore, but she remembered… She remembered the promise they had made the day Yugi had dueled Kaiba for the first time.. **_

_**The smiley face might have faded, but the sign of their friendship was carved in her heart. At that moment everyone's faces came to mind. It was as if all her friends were standing right in front of her in the flesh, giving her courage… And among their faces… There was… Him! Not Yugi.. But Yami…**_

_****end of flashback****_

It was pretty clear to her now. Subconsciously she probably already knew they were _completely_ _different_. And most importantly that she _felt_ different about them. Yugi was her best friend. She loved him as a brother. As a friend… But the other one.. She had a very mysterious and strange burning feeling in her stomach every time she thought about him.. It was confusing to say the least, but she couldn't deny it anymore…

/_Stupid Tea! What on earth could you be thinking at a time like this… When everything hangs on a thread.. When everything is about to crumble…_/

Crump's echoing voice woke her up. "Now you must choose a monster as your Deck Master"

She had already chosen, no second thoughts. "My Deck Master is the Dark Magician Girl!" she yelled and the cute monster appeared right next to her and winked.

/_It's the monster Yugi advised me to use… I sure hope he is alright…_ / although she knew, that as long as Yami was around, Yugi would be safe.

…..

Yugi had reached the end of the corridor. It was a room with 3 huge illuminated doors. He was frustrated.

"Where can the exit be? Which door to choose?" he wondered and started moving toward the middle door in front of him.

"Stop!" Yami ordered. "I sense something strange about that door. It's better to test each door before we try to pass through them" he sounded judgmental. Yugi took a coin out of his pocket and threw it to the door. A big terrifying mirage came out of the door and attacked.

"Whoaaa! That looked like a monster! Testing doors is definitely a good idea…"

"Of course" Yami smirked, but he became serious again immediately. "Partner, we might have won our duel, but I sense a _new game_ is beginning for us…"

Suddenly as they were standing there Tea's voice echoed as if all around them..

"_It's so cold.. I can't take… Much longer" _She sounded desperate and scared.

"Tea!" they both yelled at once. Yami clenched his fists.

"Where are you Tea?" Yugi shouted in a desperate attempt to make her hear him. But her voice kept echoing… "_I'm so cold…"_

"Tea!" Yugi yelled again. Yami was just standing expressionless, the darkness in his eyes was pretty obvious though. Yugi could tell he was more upset than he wanted to show but that was not the time for that discussion.. He did have it in mind for quite some time now, but things were already too difficult for him to put this on the table now as well…

"Tea needs our help! Do you think her duel has already started?" Yugi asked concerned.

Yami clenched his fists even harder. His eyes looked _poisonous_. He had the same look he did when he almost killed Kaiba to save grandpa…

"Noah's letting us here her just to torture us! What a wicked thing to do!" he sounded furious. Yugi was desperate too. It seemed that Noah's trick had worked on both of them.

"We have to hurry and find her!" Yugi declared and run to the door. As he contacted it, a flashing light took him and pushed him to the ground landing him on his butt.

"Ahhhhh… Ugh!"

Yami snapped out of his fury and ran to him.

"Don't panic Yugi. It's no use. It's just what Noah wants.." he said firmly. He had come to the realization that they needed to keep their cool if they were going to save Tea. It had to be her… Some creepy old guy wanted to take Tea's body! /_I will not forgive that!_/he thought. Then he showed Yugi the doors. Despite his frustration, he had already figured out Noah's game. They were getting out of there… And they were _definitely_ saving Tea!

"Look up over the doors Yugi" he said.

Yugi noticed that there were actually stars over the doors. "Like duel monsters levels" he mumbled.

"That's right. So behind that door a level one monster awaits us. That's what Noah's twisted little game is" Yami said, his anger returning.

Yugi stood to his feet "This makes it easier". With a swift move, he summoned the Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress and eliminated the obstacle. They both ran through the door hoping it would lead to Tea. However they seemed to be running in circles. They ended up in the same room. Tea's voice echoed again…

"_It's freezing cold….Yugi.. Save me… Yugi_…"

Yugi was desparate… "It's Tea's voice! She's calling for me! For us! We have to hurry"

Yami narrowed his eyebrows. "Yes… She's calling for _you_..". Yugi could sense a hint of…_jealousy_ … in his tone. He had noticed that before… At first it seemed strange to him. He thought it was just his imagination but the signs were becoming clearer. He could sense it although Yami had his heart closed and locked. He would never show such emotions. But they did share a mind, a soul… Could they be sharing _more_ than that?

But Yugi's affection for Tea... It wasn't the same… He knew Tea was intrigued by Yami.. The mysterious spirit. But he never felt jealous of him. Maybe his feelings for Tea were a bit different from Yami's… However this was not a time to think like that. He looked at the coin in his hand…

"Just wait Tea! We're coming!" Yugi yelled and prepared for the next door…

/_Just wait…Tea_/

….

Tea was at a really tough spot. She unconsciously found herself asking for Yugi's help.. But in her mind another face was popping up every time… /_Why am I thinking of him all the time_?/. When Crump had informed her that The Dark Magician Girl's special ability involved The Dark Magician the first thing she had thought was _Yami_... Not Yugi…

/_The Dark Magician… His favorite card… Of course! The Dark Magician and The Dark Magician Girl are a team...They are always by each other's side. Just like…Ughhhh! Again thinking that… Focus Tea_…/.

The Nightmare penguin had her cornered. She was knee-high covered in ice and she could barely move her hands to draw. Thankfully for her, her deck master, was constantly by her side, helping her, guiding her hand and giving her courage… /_If only he was here too_…/. But he wasn't, and she had to be strong.. This was her test.. She had to pass it without _him_..

She had used a card.. Maha Vailo… She remembered how Yugi had told her this card was more like him, while The Dark Magician was more like _the other him_… Tea pondered a little on the situation… Yami was the strong leader, while Yugi was the hidden strength behind a weak face… Yugi had found his way to help her… Even from afar… If only she had chosen to put The Dark Magician in her deck as well…

…..

"_Yugi…_" Tea's voice echoed again… Yami snapped. "We're getting closer!"

"Yes, she sounds louder" Yugi noted. /_Finally he's showing some emotion_/.

"Yugi, is something wrong?" Yami noticed he was strange.

"No nothing. Let's just keep going… Tea might not be able to hold much longer."

Yami narrowed his eyebrows and frowned in concern. "Let's go!"

"_Yugi" _ Tea was heard again… Yugi knew, she wasn't calling him.. He knew the one she was calling for was his other self. He wasn't jealous. Just a little sad. He knew he had feelings for her too… But he was so introvert… So closed in himself… Even now when Tea was in such a great danger and Yugi could feel his heartache, Yami wouldn't twich a muscle.. Was it pride? Was it fear? Was it uncertainty? Yugi just knew that he would need a push before he could actually admit he had feelings for Tea.. _If he ever did_..

As they defeated the final 5-level monster door, they proceeded on the corridor which abruptly turned into a frozen cave, and up ahead in the distance there was…Tea! Dueling a weird penguin… Yugi snapped. He ran to her but a mirror-like ice panel was blocking his way.

"Tea! I'm here for you!" he yelled while hitting the ice in vain. He really was desperate now. Tea couldn't hear or see him but he kept yelling for her. Yami's expression was distorted. But still, he never lost his cool…

It seemed to him that Tea was actually doing pretty good. She had Maha Vailo on the field and she had equipped him with Magic Formula, so he was pretty strong. Yami half-smiled for a moment. /_That's a great move_…/he thought, feeling proud of her. But he was hasty it seemed. Within a few minutes, Crump managed to turn the tables. He destroyed Maha Vailo, summoned a huge ice monster in defense and attacked Tea's life points directly.

"NO TEA!" Yugi yelled in despair. /_Tea_!/ Yami's eyes darkened but still no word.

Suddenly they noticed the Dark Magician Girl enter the battlefield. Yami's eyes sparkled. /_That's it! Dark Magicial Girl will protect her_/. However, Crump brought his Penguin Torpedo back from the graveyard and launched another direct attack on Tea's life points. Now Tea was frozen up to her neck…

"NOO! TEA! She can't lose… If she loses she'll be stuck here forever! It's not fair. She's not experienced enough!" Yugi snapped completely. His eyes were teary… Yami's face twitched. But he had to keep it together.. For Yugi's sake, for her sake… Him losing it now like Yugi would get them nowhere…

"Yugi. Have faith. _Tea can win_.. If she trusts in the heart of the cards and the Dark Magician Girl.." he said.

He did say all that but the truth was that he was struggling with himself… Did he really believe that Tea could get out of that situation…? She was as Yugi had noted, inexperienced… Yugi was really emotional now. He turned to him.

"How can you be so calm? Are you not worried about her? She's down to the last chunk of her life points and her Deck Master is on the field! If The Dark Magician Girl is defeated, then she'll be stuck in here forever while that old creep will wander around freely in her body!"

It seemed like he had hit a nerve. Yami's eyes darkened and his face frowned in an unprecedented expression of frustration… He clenched his fists…

/_DAMMIT_!/

"DAMMIT!" he suddenly yelled. Yugi widened his eyes in surprise. "DAMMIT TEA! I'M NOT LETTING YOU GO JUST LIKE THAT!". Yugi was completely at a loss for words.

"The Dark Magician Girl is strong, but not as strong as…" Yami was talking to the void looking straight at Tea's direction when suddenly he paused. In the battlefield, Tea had played a card.

"The Sage's Stone! Of course! I knew it!" Yami was smirking now.

"Wow…" Yugi was blown away…

Yami took his fierce battle position, closed his eyes and the golden eye of Horus appeared on his forehead. That was a very rare sight and only happened in very special occasions…

"Dark Magician" he said in a deep and commanding voice "Go! Lend her your power!"

The duel disk on Yugi's arm started glowing and in a split second The Dark Magician materialized in front of them. He looked at Yami and took a deep bow. Then he dematerialized, flew out of that cave and placed himself on the battlefield next to his disciple, the Dark Magician Girl.

"Yami… You.." Yugi was still speechless. Yami was completely focused on the duel. The ancient symbol was still shining over his eyes. The two magicians launched their powerful attack and finished off that dreadful penguin. Tea was defrosted and fainted, falling on the ground.

"Tea!" Yugi yelled one more time. The ice barrier that was separating them from Tea had broken when Dark Magician had exited the cave so Yugi ran to her. He kneeled next to her, lifted her shoulders and put her on his lap.

"Tea" he said soflty. "Can you hear me?" The moment Tea started moving her eyelids, the Milennium Puzzle shone and _Yami took over_ Yugi's place with no warning. However Yugi had kind of expected that.

He grabbed Tea's shoulders and shook her trying not to be too vulgar. His eyes were dark but full of concern.

"_Tea_", his deep alluring voice made her open her eyes wide although she was still kind of dazed.

"Are you alright?"

With a swift move that even surprised her, Tea jumped in his arms and hugged him really tight.

"You're here! _You_ saved me!" she started crying.

"I was so scared!" she was trembling in his arms. She was so cold.. It was so cold out there.. But Yami felt an unfamiliar warmth… Her body in his arms.. The feeling of her frozen soft skin and the scent of her hair that his nose was shoved in… They had caused him a weird feeling of intimacy… All the self-control he had been struggling to contain all this time had gone to hell the moment she had fallen in his arms.

He passed his fingers slowly through her hair. Tea shivered. He softly pulled her head a little back so he could see her face. His eyes were looking deep into hers. His look was fierce, almost ordering her to comply to his every move. Tea was helpless before him. She felt her heartbeat accelerating and the cold that she had been feeling all this time turned to a crazy heat, spreading from her heart to her stomach and her face. With his breath getting heavier and his eyes looking hopelessly demanding he slowly but steadily moved his face closer to hers.

She could feel his burning breath on her skin. He gently, almost mechanically, as if his inner instincts were dictating his every move, placed his lips over hers and pulled her closer to him, with the one hand that was holding her. Then, after he had felt their mouths touching, he took a deep breath from his nose and started brushing his lips on hers with force. Tea felt her whole body numb just by the look of him. She was almost half-conscious. She was confused and surprised… She was blown away.. But the bliss of that kiss was unquestionable.. After that horrible day, this was her reward for enduring… For making it so far… Actually, this was her reward for everything good she had done in this life…

She tightened her hug a little, if only faintly, as her strength had abandoned her almost completely. She pushed against his lips with that remaining strength. The tension was so much that she released a weak moan.

"Hmmmmmfff". As he pulled back for air, she fell in a state of unconsciousness in his arms… She felt a soft kiss on her forehead before she completely lost her senses… When she woke up, she was covered in his coat and Yugi was there with her…

"Are you alright Tea?" he asked.

"Uhm…. Yeah… I guess" she answered.

"Good! Let's go find the others…"

As they started walking, Tea placed her fingertips on her lips and blushed… /_It was probably a hallucination_…/

…..

**A/N**: As you see another kiss with an aftermath. He disappeared again, that Pharaoh :D. Well in this one Yami is completely secretive about his feelings and we see a lot of things from Yugi's POV. You can't hide from Yugi XD. Anyway, I hope you liked that kiss. Again I didn't elaborate on the duels much. How did you think of my idea of the Pharaoh actually ordering the Dark Magician to go to Tea's aid? In my mind it makes more sense than the actual story :P:P. Well I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did. Thank you for reading and don't forget to **review please**… *puppy eyes* ^_^


	9. Kiss 7 Impatience

A/N: Ok I'm back. I know I've been late, but seriously this story takes more time than the rest cause it's not just inspiration, it also takes research, because don't forget, I'm mining for appropriate kissing opportunities throughout the anime so I have to re-watch all the episodes. I'm currently in the Virtual World arc, which, let's face it, doesn't present as many opportunities as the one that follows. However, I managed to squeeze a quick one out of that scene where Tea and Yugi are alone in Kaiba's virtual house. It's a little dirtier and more suggestive than the previous ones, but not too much, just a hint of spice XD. So enjoy, **and please review** ^_^.

P.S.1. Oh and to the people that review on my other stories about this one, PLEASE review on the story you are interested in. And if you review as guest I can't answer you directly can I? As I said this story takes more time than the ones that come completely out of inspiration. And Yami and Seto are both my favorite characters. I am a HUGE fan of Revolutionshipping, but my OCs are usually paired with Kaiba. So yeah. I love them both and REVOLUTIONSHIPPING FTW XDXD.

To ghettogurl101: I'm really sorry I couldn't update when you asked, you probably had your reasons, but as I explained it's not so easy ^^

To fanficlover: Stop bothering me.

To YamiXTea HATER: Lol dude..or dudette… You actually took some of your probably not so precious time to read a story about the shipping you hate :D:D:D. That's pretty funny XD

Thank you all for your reviews anyway. Keep them coming please ^_^

P.S.2. Soundtrack for this kiss: "Ready for love" by Bad Company XD

P.S.3. /../ means Yami is thinking or talking to Yugi in their mind, *….* is the same for Yugi.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh and most of the storyline ^_^

**First Kiss No 7: Episode 110 - Impatience **[_actual title "Noah's secret…"]_

**Background: The guys are trapped in the virtual world but they still know nothing about Noah. Seto has just won a duel with Leichter as Ginzo and is going to save Mokuba who's been.. surprise surprise.. kidnapped (XD), by Noah. Yugi and Tea decide to go after him and enter this big tunnel.. But wait.. The situation is quite dangerous… Is it really Yugi who should be in charge? Another little manipulation of mine :P. Kaiba has just vanished into the tunnel.**

"We're better off without 'im anyway.. Right Yugi?" Joey hissed still annoyed by Kaiba's usual rudeness.

"Yeah! Goodbye and good riddens Kaiba!" Duke agreed. But Yugi thought different.

"Hold on guys! We should help him save Mokuba!"

"Yeah and if he finds Noah then he might find my body!" robot-monkey Tristan entered the conversation, followed by Serenity's approval. The truth was, they didn't really have anywhere else to go… They were trapped in a world created by a mad kid. Whatever they decided, in the end they would end up wherever _he_ wanted. Yami knew that of course…

/_Yugi… Tristan and Serenity are right.. The only way to find his body is to find Noah.. And that's not all.. Our only way out of here is Kaiba… And the way he is right now, he is bound to do something stupid…/_

"You're right Yami… We can't let Kaiba go alone! I'm going to go after him!" Yugi announced determined and started running toward the tunnel.

"Hey Yugi wait…" Joey protested, but before he could finish his sentence Tea started running to the tunnel too.

/_Oh no_./ Yami stated surprisingly. /_Of course… Who else would jump recklessly into danger…_/ he said after noticing that the tunnel entrance along with the rest of the guys had vanished behind them.

*_Yami.. What's wrong? You've been acting weird ever since Tea dueled that creepy penguin_..* Yugi noted as they were running.

/_Ughhh! That creepy old… Who wanted to wander the world in her body… In her…/_he stopped before his anger got out of control. /_Yugi.. It's just that she's so… reckless… Sometimes it's as if she defies danger completely… And../_he paused again.

*_It's just that she's very brave_!* Yugi noted in a tone of admiration. *_She's not afraid of anything… And besides, what else could she do? It's not like she chose to duel him_..*

Yami hissed. /_She was not supposed to be here. She's not a duelist… Actually she was not supposed to be on that blimp either… No one else besides us and Joey was supposed to be on that blimp.. You know that Yugi_../

_*Yes I do but Yami…* _before he could finish what he was saying, he noticed Tea surpassing them running. She was really fast and athletic.. She was an aspiring dancer after all..

/_Damn, her legs are long_../ Yami muttered almost unintentionally noticing her from behind… Not that he didn't enjoy the view, but at this rate they were going to lose her.

/_Let me take over Yugi… You can't keep up with her_…/he said smirking. Yugi blushed and took a pouting expression but the truth was he was right.. His body did seem to grow a bit when _he_ took over… It was like his Puzzle was infused with hormones..

*_Alright_…* Yugi sighed. *_But no scolding Tea ok_?*

/_Well Yugi, if she needs to be scolded, I'll scold her_/ he said plainly. /_And if she needs to be spanked I'll spank her_../ he thought secretly from Yugi and smirked again.

*_What was that_?* Yugi noticed his unfamiliar behavior.

/_Nothing, come on already_/ Yami was impatient to get out for some reason. Yugi sighed again, the Puzzle shone and Yami got out right when they reached a part where the road splitted.

Tea stopped to take a breath and bent her body slightly panting. Yami stopped right behind her and widened his eyes noticing her very well shaped curves..

"Hmmmmm" he mumbled.

"Huh?" Tea heard his deep voice and jolted up from her position. /_When did they change_?!/. Not that she was complaining.. She did prefer _his_ company slightly to Yugi's lately…

He realized he was staring and took his eyes off her. He cleared his throat.. "Uhmmm.."

That's when he noticed the two pathways…

"Great… Should we flip a coin?" he said in an almost ironic tone of voice. Tea looked at him determined.

"Nope, he went _this_ way!" she said and started running to the left path. He was surprised to say the least. He widened his eyes again and yelled: "Tea! _How_ do you know?"

"Woman's intuition!" she said turning around and winking at him while running.

"That's great… _That's_ reliable" he complained and started running after her. He wasn't admitting it, but her fearless character was really a point of attraction for him… Although he feared for her safety, he was excited to have such a creature in his company…

"Slow down Tea!" he shouted as he was still trying to catch up with her.

"Oh right.. I forgot, my legs are longer than yours" she teased him. Yami felt his blood boil in his veins.. He wanted to answer appropriately but well… It was not _so appropriate_ for a time like that… He just said…

"Very funny"… She was about to continue teasing him when a light showed up in front of them.

"Check it out!" she shouted.

"There's a light ahead!" he stated.

"I hope that means we chose the right path!"

"You mean the path _you_ chose…" he teased her back… "Well we're about to find out" he declared before she could answer.

They swooshed out of the tunnel, toward the light and a strong force pushed them both. Tea landed on the ground butt first and Yami landed right on top of her. In fact his head, was buried between her breasts.. _That_ was an awkward situation.. Tea was still panting and heavily breathing from all the running and was a little dazed from the fall so it took her a little while to realize the position they were in.

"AH!" she shouted startled and her face turned blood red… Her heart had started pounding like she was going to have a heart attack… Yami lifted his head and looked at her for a moment. His face was blood red too but not from the embarrassment… But from the rush… The position they had landed in was more than comfortable for him..

However, he managed to get himself together and jumped off her to a standing position.

"Sorry." He said trying to act indifferent. He realized his face was burning up. "That was quite a run.." he added plainly, offering his hand for her to get up. She shyly took it not looking straight at him.

"Thanks" she uttered. Suddenly her eyes were fixed on something behind him. He turned around to see a huge old building.

"It's some kind of old mansion or something… _Really_ old" Tea noted. Yami walked toward the big iron gate that was in front of the mansion.

"Be careful!" she exclaimed. /_Now she's thinking of danger_/he thought, a half smile crossing his face. Then he turned his attention to the house.

"Whatever this place is, someone doesn't want us getting in" he said, his deep voice sounding pensive. "I wonder why…". Tea admired his thinking expression.. He was way too… _Interesting_…

Her thoughts were interrupted by a very strange sound… It was… A baby's cry!

"Hey Yami… Do you hear what I hear?" she said putting her hand behind her ear as if that was going to make her hear better…

/_Silly_…/ he thought and half-smiled again.

"It sounds like.. _crying_." She continued not noticing him.

"Yes. I hear it. It's a baby" he said plainly. "Maybe this place is some kind of virtual nursery… But then again… What would that brat need a nursery for?".

Tea interrupted his train of thought.

"Or… What if this baby is all _alone_?!" she sounded terrified. She was always so concerned about the others… Another feat of hers he found interesting and _attractive_…

"We gotta get in there!" she stated determined and started climbing the iron gate. He frowned his face in frustration. /_I should have expected this_…/

"Tea! Wait…" he tried to stop her… But her legs were indeed too long. /_Dammit! Dammit you stubborn woman_…/

"You're gonna get hurt!" he shouted climbing the door behind her. Again he had a very clear view of her…. _Assets_. He lost his focus.

"I'll be fine" she said plainly. Indeed, she did reach the top of the gate with the thorny ends and carefully passed her legs over them. She was really flexible… Made him wonder if she was flexible in other ways too…

He shook his head… /_Not a good time for those kinds of thoughts_…/ He scolded himself… But he couldn't really contain his excitement… He couldn't really focus on anything else but her… He climbed down the gate as well, straightened himself and looked at her with a very disapproving look.

"You are too _impatient_… You always act on impulse. You could've been hurt" he said his eyes shining almost in anger. But it wasn't really anger… There was a well-concealed hint of… _lust_ in them…

She noticed that, but shook the thought off her head. It must have been her imagination. She looked at him without being intimidated.

"I'm fine, aren't I?" and turned to the house. Yami bit his lower lip and clenched his fists. She was really starting to get to him…Let alone she wouldn't listen… He tried to keep his cool and followed her into the house. It was a huge house with corridors. They couldn't count how many.

"Come on let's look around!" she announced and started running.

"Oooooooook…." He said rather reluctantly. It's not like he was used to taking orders. Even from _her_… They started running up and down the corridors, opening every door and checking the rooms in their way. Yami kept an eye on her just in case. He didn't want to lose her from his sight… For _several reasons_..

They kept running and running and they couldn't find anything. Tea opened another door.

"Another empty room" she complained. She was exhausted…And there was a huge inviting bed in the middle of that room. She didn't think much. She just walked in there and dropped herself on that bed with her back. She closed her eyes for a minute and put her arm over her forehead…

"This is exhausting.." she said panting… "All this running.."

"Hey Tea, I found some…thing" he entered the room and saw her laying there… Like that… Heavy breathing and panting. Well, that image was very _tempting_… He went closer and kneeled on the bed beside her. She opened her eyes and saw him, holding a rattle…

"A rattle?" she said trying to act indifferent to the fact that he was standing right over her, with his huge, dark, amethyst eyes fixed on her. "I would be crying too if I was stuck in a creepy old house without a rattle…" she said, a little less confident now… Her heart had started beating like crazy and the heavy breathing was not so much caused by her exhaustion anymore…

He leaned a little closer over her. "That's because you're a _baby_" he taunted her with a smirk appearing on his face. Tea felt the impulsive need to fight back. She narrowed her eyebrows in an extremely cute angry expression and prepared to attack him.

"Who are you calling a baby, _you_…" but before she could finish, he jumped over her, trapped her body between his legs, grabbed both her hands and pinned them on the bed with his, completely immobilizing her. Then he leaned even more and brought his face so close to her, she could feel his warm breath on her face. He looked at her straight in the eyes as if saying… '_You're mine now_…'

"I got you now…" he finally said, a smug smirk appearing on his face. A smirk like the ones he had whenever he taunted his dueling opponents… He was defeating her… _Dominating_ her…

"What are you gonna do now?" he challenged her, without changing his expression.

Tea felt her heart going crazy. Her chest was bouncing up and down rapidly in order to contain the force of her fast breathing…Her temperature had risen 100 degrees and her stomach felt as if something was walking, or rather, running, inside it.

"I…" she managed to utter breathlessly, before he crushed his lips on hers with force. Not so much that he would hurt her, but enough to show her his power… At first she tried, although not very vividly, to resist. She pushed her hands in order to free them but he had her pinned down well. He wasn't going to let go of her. She arched her body a little, but that was not exactly…_uninviting_. Then she moaned to protest as their lips were brushing together. Then her moans became a little less annoyed..

She couldn't fool him.. He knew she wanted this as much as he did.. He could feel her heart beating… He could feel her lips craving for his as he craved for her.. Now she not only didn't sound annoyed, but she even sounded pleased... He licked her lower lip a little searching for entrance in her mouth. He found little to no resistance. They released a synchronous moan. They both indulged in this blissful kiss with the whole of their existence. She wasn't protesting anymore, nor was she pushing to free her hands. He didn't even need to apply any force to keep her down. He released her hands and grabbed her waist with one hand while he entangled the other on in her hair, caressing her at the same time. They wouldn't even stop for air. They just breathed through their noses…

They were too occupied to realize that they were in a virtual world where they were constantly being watched by Noah.. The creator of this world.. And little did they care.. All common sense had gone to hell. Now Tea had her arms around him too and was pulling him closer to her. His mind was drifting to oblivion.. No past memories, no duels to the death.. No saving the world.. there was only her.. And her sweet taste in his mouth… He loosened his grip on her waist and started slipping his hand a little lower, going for her thigh when… A familiar voice startled him…

"Hey guys…?!" It was Joey! They abruptly pulled away from each other and fell on the… ground. The scenery had changed and they hadn't even noticed! They were now in a place that looked like a prairie or a valley of some sort, and ALL of their friends… plus Kaiba, were looking at them with the same estranged expression..

Tea jolted up in a sitting position and straightened her hair..

"I was looking… For my earing… I dropped it somewhere here…" she said, not very convincingly…

"And I was… helping her." He said with his deep voice, clearing his throat.. He was not really convincing either. Joey looked at them both and then simply said:

"Sure… Now let's go find Mokuba"…

…..

A/N: Ok… I really had to keep myself from turning this into an M-rated kiss… But how about that? This kiss was a little dirtier and more suggestive than usual, but as I said I'm all for variety :P. Tell me how you liked this Yami… I ended it with an embarrassing scene, because that's what came in mind,... I hope you liked it. Thank you for reading and **please review** ^_^

P.S. The art for this kiss is already on deviantart ^_^


	10. Kiss 8 I have nothing

A/N: I know… I know I took my sweet time. Forgive me… I just finished exams this Friday so now hopefully I will be updating more often… First of all **THANK YOU**! So much for all your reviews! You can't imagine how much I appreciate the feedback. It is wonderful for a writer to get so much feedback on their work. I was very pleased about last chapter and you verified that and thank you. Really, really thank you. Well, as I told CelestKirin, this story stays T-rated. But she just tempted me to write an M-rated one and I am considering it. If you really want one that much XDD. Anyway, this next kiss is an angsty one… It's the episode where Joey almost loses his life and Yugi still has to go up against Kaiba anyway. It's the famous revolutionshipping scene in the corridor of the Kaiba blimp where Tea runs after Yugi to prevent him from dueling Kaiba but he explains her he just has to… Well in my version he's a little more… explanatory… I have used A LOT from the Japanese episode because frankly in this one episode they have seriously effed up in the dub… I mean it's such a dramatic episode… Yami almost drops his sword (his duel disc), he almost gives up and they show none of this in the English version. And I ask WHY? What's wrong with it? It's only human and Yami does have such weaknesses… It is so obvious in the next arc… Anyway, on to the chapter. Enjoy and **please review!**

P.S. Soundtrack for this kiss: _Paradise _by **Tesla **(Epic song is epic. I won't bother putting a link because it won't work just put it on youtube ^^)

**First Kiss No 8: Episode 128 – I have nothing **[_actual title "The Darkness returns: Joey's death"]_

**Background: Everyone is out of the virtual world and the Battle City Tournament is back on with the finals, because, the world might be going down by evil forces, four people may be in the deathbed already but Kaiba wants his tournament and what Kaiba wants Kaiba gets! Anyway. Joey has just lost to Yami Marik, NOT because of his dueling skills but because Marik used an ultra, mega mythical magical beast. Now Joey is unconscious fighting for his life, along with Bakura, Odion and Mai… (man they drop like flies in this tournament XDD). Yami is just about to give up hope…**

The hatch door opened and Yami exited the room… He was trying to keep calm until the door closed behind him. He just stood in the middle of the corridor clenching his fists. Him and Yugi had been through a lot in Duelist Kingdom as well, but this… This was too much… The shadows were slowly consuming all their friends.. And there was a very good chance they would eventually consume them as well… Joey was in there… Dying.. And he had to go fight for stupid Kaiba's ego…

"I can't fight anymore…" he announced and slowly took the duel disk off his wrist. He remembered the promise he made to Joey… To fight him as a real duelist… But how could he continue this madness… How could he put the rest of them in danger as well.

*_Yami_…* Yugi muttered. He couldn't believe his partner was about to give up… But he too feared for Joey's life…

"_I _should be the target of Marik's hatred… What lost memories? What god cards?.. None of them is worth as much as a promise to a friend!" he exclaimed, his eyes getting watery.. "But… I… I sacrificed Joey for those things… Those meaningless things… I can't sacrifice anyone else… The thing that moves my instincts… The hate for Marik… But in the end of the day… I have nothing left… No will to fight… What for?.." he almost yelled as he punched the wall with anger… Wrath… Not for Marik… But for himself… For allowing all of them to come in harm's way… For allowing them to be consumed by the darkness…

/_It's all my fault… Please Joey… Don't die…/_

…

Tea was inside the room with the others… She was doing nothing really… Serenity cried while Tristan threatened anyone he could, so they would get Joey to a hospital… The situation was desperate… She was desperate… She watched her friends fall one by one… And yet, all she could think of was… _him_. She heard him. Punching the wall outside. She was near the door so she could hear him. She had seen the pain in his eyes. Would he really go through with it?

/_I really hope not… Yami…/_. Her thoughts were interrupted by the voice of Roland, Kaiba's lackey, announcing that the next semi-final round would start in ten minutes… He was calling for Yugi… Or rather, for _Yami_…

"No…" she let slip from her lips. /_Please don't go Yami_…/. Suddenly the door opened and he entered. He walked towards unconscious Joey…

"Yami…" she uttered as he passed her by. His eyes twitched a little but he didn't turn around to face her. He kept walking, and when he reached the bed, he kneeled down and put the duel disc back on Joey's wrist. He had made his resolve. He was going to fight Kaiba in that accursed battle…

Tea's heart fluttered… He was really going through this after all… After all the losses… What if something happened in that duel? What if _he_ was next? She couldn't even stand the idea… She did it almost instinctively, but as he left the room, she followed him.

"Yugi!.." she exclaimed. But then she thought again… "I mean.. Yami… Please wait!". He stopped, but he didn't turn to look at her… It was too difficult.. He couldn't face her now..

"You're actually going to go through with this battle?" she said stopping a few steps behind him… "Please Yami… What do you think this battle will result in? Bakura, Odion, Mai and now Joey!" her voice was trembling… "Too many people have gotten hurt… We're only losing our precious friends in this battle… And…" she paused… She really couldn't keep it in… She had to stop him.

"What if… If something happened to you?... I can't stand the thought of losing you too…" her voice was revealing the fact that tears had started forming in her eyes… "_Especially_ you…" she said in an almost whispering voice..

He clenched his fists.. He was trying to keep his distance. He couldn't let her see his agony. Especially her…

"Please end this Yami… Don't go.. Please…" she was practically begging him.. "I ache for the loss of all our friends… We have to stop this madness now! But if… If something happens to you… I…" her body twitched a little as the tears started falling from her eyes… He bit his lip…

"Tea…" he said with his deep voice, making her shiver "I can't stop now… If I do… It means that everyone's suffered for nothing… Please don't ask me that. I have to carry out my promise to Joey.."

"But Yami… The outcome of this battle.. It may cost your life" she said in that desperate pleading voice…

Suddenly he snapped. He turned around towards her and with one rapid move he caged her against the wall… His eyes were dripping fire… And pain… And agony… And _anger_… Her heart stopped. Her chest started moving up and down… She could barely breath… He was there… Inches away from her… She could smell his scent… His huge amethyst eyes were looking straight at hers.

"What life Tea? What life do I have? I am a soul that was supposed to be lost ages ago. Yet I'm still here… I'm a nameless existence bred in darkness and cursed to dwell the body of another! I have nothing, no memories, no body of my own and if it wasn't for Yugi I'd have no friends either!" he said almost yelling at her. His breathing was really fast. She could tell he was in agony… But her feet barely held her the way he had her against the wall… And all that angst… He averted his eyes, probably regretting yelling at her like that…

"D... Don't say that…" she managed to utter… She looked down… Speaking was really hard for her with her breath caught in her throat as she felt his body almost against hers and his warm breath on her skin. She noticed his chest moving up and down and she gulped as the position they were in right now was making her think anything but the duel.

"We are.. as much your friends as we are Yugi's… and…" but he interrupted her trembling voice by turning his eyes and looking straight at hers again… Now there was only agony… And anger, but not at her… He was angry at himself and his destiny..

"_You_… Tea…" he punched his hand on the wall next to her so hard that it made her close her eyes from the shock. She opened them to realize that his were closed too and faint tears had formed in their corners, not from sorrow alone.. But from angst and pressure… From anger even. He opened them abruptly and looked straight at her huge opalescent eyes that were already teary.

"I can't have _YOU_ Tea!" he said hitting the wall once more and closing his eyes again. Tea's heart started pounding in her chest like crazy… What did he mean… Could he really mean…

"I can't claim you… I can't… I can't have a hope of ever being with you. I am nothing. I'm just a nameless spirit… Something that crawls out of an item when there's a duel! This is my only role in your life. And it can be no other!" his chest was pounding as well now and he was avoiding eye-contact with her.

"Yami… I…" her knees felt weak… He was really saying that… He was really saying that he wished he could…_have_ her… Not as a friend but… As a lover?!

He turned and looked at her again with his liquid eyes, almost pleading now. He was breathing so fast you'd think he was hyperventilating.. He looked as if he was about to blow up… Tea blushed… She blushed so hard that sweat almost started forming on her cheeks… She looked at him with her huge blue eyes… Almost begging for some release…

"Ya…Yami…I.." but she had no time to finish her phrase. With a rabid and violent move, he grabbed her head and claimed her lips! He had such passion, such force in his kiss that it even hurt her lips a little when he did it.

"Mmmmffffmmmm!" she moaned in surprise as her face blushed even more. His eyes were closed shut revealing all the tension hidden behind this kiss. He forcefully parted her lips open with his mouth and his tongue started searching for hers desperately and when he finally found it, he greedily sucked on it as if it was the last thing he was going to do on this earth. Tea surrendered to the passion of this kiss. She closed her eyes and shyly moved her tongue against his… After all she had been waiting for this kiss for so long… She never thought so much pain and agony would be hidden behind it, but still it was their kiss…Even if it was the first and last he would give her.

She moaned again as he pressed his body against hers, breathing on her face with his nose, refusing to break the connection. On the contrary, his knees moved her legs apart so that his body could be in perfect contact with hers. The wall was hard on her back but she didn't care. She didn't care about anything right now… Right now that man… The Pharaoh without an existence… The spirit that had no hopes or dreams… That had no illusions about her, he was claiming her. Even if it was for this one time. She wrapped her arms around his neck and entangled her fingers through his hair. They were one coalescent mass, greedily feasting upon each other in the cold corridor of the KaibaCorp blimp, in the shadows of a duel that would determine the destiny of this world… But they were all alone now…

After several minutes without air he finally broke the kiss but without detaching his head from hers… In fact the was still leaning his forehead on hers with his eyes wide open looking at her with passion and need, breathing over her flushed face. He closed his eyes for a second, indulging her scent for what could as well be the last time… Then he started pulling away from her, brushing his hand over her face, tracing her characteristics with his fingers.

"Forgive me for this Tea… I had to do it." He said turning his back on her, still breathing heavily.

"My weak body couldn't resist…" then he paused. "There's too much at stake. I won't risk you getting hurt too. If anything happens to me in this duel, I want you to remember this kiss forever, but if I survive it, which I intend to, I want you to erase it for your memory and pretend it never happened, for it was the product of an illusion, that can never be…" he said in a low, sorrowful voice…

"For everything that's lost, to find all the answers and to bring Joey and everyone else back, I WILL win this duel!" he declared with his usual stone cold determination and walked away heading for his duel of destiny with Kaiba.

Tea let the pressure on her knees be released, slipped down the wall and sat on the floor, her legs irregularly crossed. Her heart was shuttered. Her chest was bouncing up and down like crazy, still panting from that breathtaking kiss, her face flushed and hot tears streaming down her cheeks… Yes. She would forget that kiss… As long as _he_ was safe…

A/N: Ok that was a quick one, but I added a LOT of drama without making it soap-operish on this one… All the angst on Yami's part comes from the Japanese version which may have sucky subs but you REALLY get the point of what they're trying to say. In the beginning of my chapter Yami takes off the disk and says he won't fight anymore… They censored that in the dub…Y?!Anyway I won't runt any more. I am a sucker for drama so I really enjoyed using it. Plus I gave a more detailed description of the kiss. I really hope you like it^^. Thank you for reading and **please review**! ^_^

(Art for the kiss coming soon as always :D)


	11. Kiss 9 Now or never

A/N: Ok people… I know I'm late again… Sorry.. *puppy eyes*. Please forgive the artist. I have been drawing a lot lately but I finally got my writing groove back and here I am with a new kiss and it's a long one. This one is again during Battle City Finals. It occurs when Marik (the good one) takes over Tea's body to let his sister know he's alive and to try and get rid of Yami Marik. Buuuut he's not strong enough and Tea gets in trouble. The Pharaoh senses it and runs to her rescue :33. Oh sweet sweet Pharaoh. The epic moment when he gives her his hand… Oh it's haunting XD. Anyway, again I used both the Japanese and English versions. I mixed and matched :D. Also, again, my own interpretation and extra scenes. I hope you like this sweet kiss and it makes up for all the wait. **Please, please review**. It makes me happy ^_^. Now to answer your reviews:

**port rocks: **unfortunately they don't kiss. Not in the Jap, not in the English, not in the manga. But there is Yugioh R which is a revolutionshipper's paradise of a manga XD.

**CelestKirin**: Thank you. I know you love dominative Yami. Don't we all XD. Sorry I am so late with this :/

**101ghettogirl**: well, I love drama too so wherever there is an opening it's gonna be there XD

**Becca-Loves-Yuge**: yes I love the scene too and you are probably right, I just like the angsty feeling on the Jap although I will admit the tension between the two is greater in the dub. Also you are totally right about Tea. As if she'd forget XD

**Yami-Jessie-Babe:** thank you and no, unfortunately I don't listen to rap music.

**Yugioh and Inuyasha lover, TheRealContestshippingPrincess, The Man with Imagination: **thank you so much. I hope I won't disappoint you ^^

*_italics*_ : Yugi speaks in spirit form. No italics, Yami in spirit form

Soundtrack for this kiss: "Pour some sugar on me" by Def Leppard XD

**First Kiss No 9: Episodes 135 –137. Now or never **[_actual title "Battle for the Bronze"]_

**Background: Battle city finals are on after the virtual nightmare. Yami has just wiped the floor with Kaiba's face and Joey has strangely enough woken up from the little trip to the shadow realm and wants a piece of Kaiba as well. We are now right before they start dueling and Yami is giving one of his elaborate encouragement speeches to Joey.**

"With everything Joey has learned so far, he should be able to defeat Kaiba" Yami was making his analysis on the duel statistics and history, trying to encourage Joey at the same time. Tea was looking at the two duelists but in fact what she was thinking, was that she was relieved that the duel between Yami and Kaiba had concluded without casualties. However her feelings about Yami's victory were mixed.

/_Yami has won… He's one step closer to regaining his memories… I should be happy right?... But then again… It's Marik… If Yami loses to Marik…._/ She shook her head at that thought. No Yami would NOT lose to Marik. Yami wouldn't lose to anyone… But this pain in her heart… Even if Yami won… Regaining his memories would bring him one step closer to his destiny, and most probably one step further from her. She instinctively placed her hands over her heart.

/_I can't allow myself to think selfishly of him… I have no right to. He's here for a purpose. That purpose is his destiny.. Plus../ _She remembered the day of their "date". He looked so torn and lost. A man without memories. But after they went to the museum and Ishizu revealed all that information about his past, he was a new man…

/_No. I will help him find his way… Even if that way leads him away from me…/_. As she was thinking that, she suddenly felt like a strong electric current passed all the way through her body. She jerked up.

/_What the…_/

"_Tea please take me to my sister!" _ was all she heard before she was completely lost in darkness.

….

Yami was carefully watching Kaiba and Joey's duel. He never once took his focus off it, so he didn't notice that Tea was missing. Suddenly he felt his Millennium Puzzle vibrate and the eye of Wdjat shone on his forehead. Yugi noticed it too.

"Something's wrong with the Millennium Puzzle" he pointed out but Yami had already sensed the Millennium force inside his Puzzle. It was responding to something, and from what Yami could tell, it was probably another Millennium item… With the Rod and the Ring present in the blimp he didn't know what to think. He narrowed his eyes frustrated. Another reaction by the Puzzle made him frown even more. This time in terror. The item was showing him…. Tea's face! And her eyes were vague… Like that afternoon at the pier, when Marik had enslaved her with his rod. Yami's heart started beating really fast.

/_TEA!_/ he thought terrified. Now Yugi was worried too.

*_You think something bad might have happened to Tea?*_

Yami didn't answer. He just looked around and realized that Tea was nowhere to be seen.

"Dammit… Tea…" he mumbled through his teeth. The idea of Tea being in the hands of that demon again made him homicidal… He knew that wasn't the real Marik, but at times he did feel tempted to kill him. This was one of those times…

/_If that bastard has touched Tea… He'll get what's coming to him!_/.

*_Calm down partner. Let's just go find her*_

"Stay strong Joey!" he exclaimed as he rushed towards the entrance of the elevator to the top of the Alcatraz tower. That was where his item and his instinct were leading him.

/_I'm coming Tea!_/ he thought as he ran. Yugi had a bad feeling. Yami was getting dangerously agitated again… Like that time at Pegasus' castle with Kaiba… Only this time Tea wasn't here to stop him…

…..

Tea felt a strong pinch on her chest… Her mind was blurry, she was not exactly conscious but she could feel fragments of what was happening to her. She had had this feeling before… When Marik had used her body as a vessel to force Yami to fight Joey. Only this time, she could feel a lot more. Maybe because this time Marik was using the ring which wasn't his own item so his possession of her was weaker. The creepy feeling that someone else was lurking inside her body was both stomach-turning and terrifying at the same time. She felt as if she was caught in a vortex and only fragments of reality were visible to her. She saw Marik's evil self, coming at her. She couldn't react. Do anything. Then the image was lost again and she drifted in darkness. This was torment. And she could only imagine what poor Mai and Bakura were going through in the shadow realm, which was much worse than this. Suddenly they switched again. Evil Marik, had her trapped against the railing of the tower and was almost choking her with the Rod.

/_Oh god… This is it…_/ she thought as she looked down. Now her consciousness was half herself, half Marik. Marik had kind of lost his focus when Odion was mentioned. At this rate both him and Tea were goners.

"It's time I got rid of you once and for all" evil Marik grinned as he lifted his Rod ready to land it on Tea and give her a fatal strike.

*_Ma…Marik… let me…* _she was pretty weak against her own self but her instinct for survival was very strong. With a swift and rather risky move, she lifter herself on the air holding on to the railing and somersaulted , landing on the arena farther behind evil Marik, just in time to avoid his hit. Thank god for her dancing skills.

"Hmm… this girl has a rather agile body…" evil Marik said, licking his lips with a perverted smirk. "Anyway, you're just prolonging the inevitable, my other self… or rather, what's left of you. I am the real Marik now and you're too weak to stop me" he said wielding the Rod to Tea's direction. Tea was already weak from trying to control herself, so she just felt drifting further and further away, until there was nothing left but darkness…

…..

Yami was banging his foot on the elevator floor nervously with his fists clenched.

/_Why is that damn elevator so freaking slow?!_/

*_Please relax partner… I am sure Tea will be alright*_

/_How can you be so sure Yugi? That creep almost killed Joey… You think he'll spare Tea..? And Tea is weaker than Joey… Just the idea… Ughh! Makes me mad_/

Yugi realized he'd have to calm Yami down. In the state he was, no one could guarantee nor his nor Marik's safety. He gathered his strength and took control of the puzzle.

"What are you doing Yu…" Yami managed to say before he was drawn into the puzzle.

"I'm sorry partner" Yugi said pressing the stop button. "I need you to calm down. You can't help anyone in this state. More like you'll hurt someone and probably yourself as well… I am sorry but I can't let you out until you promise not to hurt Marik.."

*Yugi stop being childish and let me out. I don't want to force this on you* Yami said in anticipation.

"I'm sorry, but Marik is innocent too… He's just a victim to his painful past… We all have painful memories. Some of us get consumed by them… I had my friends and you so I didn't… But Marik had no one… Think about it Yami.."

Yami took a deep breath. All he could think about was getting to Tea now, but he was wiser that to go against Yugi. Last time that happened they almost lost to Pegasus because Yugi wouldn't use the puzzle. And they needed the puzzle against Marik. Plus Yugi's word had struck a chord. Yami knew nothing of his past.. He might have had some painful experiences as well. Maybe that's why sometimes he got so easily agitated… If it wasn't for Yugi and Tea.. Tea had stopped him from becoming a killer back then… He owed it to her to face this situation with a clear mind.

*Very well Yugi. You are right. I promise I won't hurt Marik. After all, we have a duel coming. I'll take my revenge on the battlefield as always*. Yugi smiled. Of course this was no guarantee that Marik would be ok since this was probably going to be a shadow duel but it was good enough for now. The Puzzle shone again and Yami came out. He eagerly pressed the button. Seconds seemed like years until they reached the roof. As soon as the door opened the puzzle reacted again. In the distance, Marik was about to use his Rod on his own sister .

"Stop right now!" Yami ordered as the eye of Wdjat shone on his forehead.

"Look at this. I'm quite popular today" Marik smirked sadistically. Apparently the Pharaoh's appearance was amusing to him.

"This has gone far enough Marik! I won't let you hurt anybody else!" Yami hissed with a firm but yet not threatening look.

"Welcome Pharaoh.. So.. You want to fight now? Fine by me." The Egyptian fiend answered lifting the Rod. Ishizu looked in terror as the two spirits were about to go at each other right then and there. A dark shadow cloud started gathering in the atmosphere, but it vanished as fast as it had appeared.

"Naaah. That would be too boring. I want an audience for your execution" Marik smirked sarcastically again and walked away. Yami was seriously struggling not to throw a penalty game at his ugly vain-popping face, but he restrained himself due to his promise to Yugi.

Then Yami turned his head to Ishizu to find her supporting Tea's head on her lap. Her eyes were closed and she was pale.

"TEA!" he yelled as he rushed down and kneeled beside her. "Is she alright?" he asked in agony as he took her hand in his. It was cold. His heart started racing… /_No, Tea can't be hurt… Not her…_/

*_Partner you…*_

"Calm down Pharaoh… She's going to be ok. She's just unconscious" Yami sighed but his heart was still beating like crazy… Unconscious wasn't good either.

"But why would she come here in the first place?" he asked, still some agony apparent in his voice. Ishizu could sense it. This girl was really important to her Pharaoh… Which made what she was about to say more difficult.

"Pharaoh… I have a request for you… Please save my brother… His pure soul is not gone… He lives…." She paused and looked down "…using Tea as a host…"

Yami's eyes narrowed as he gave her an icy glare.

"Tea's body is NOT a vessel. And it is NOT for your brother to play house around! She could have been killed!" he yelled at her. Ishizu knew he was right, but she was desperate too.. Her dearest brother was in great danger. With pleading, teary eyes she looked at him.

"I know. But this is the only way… Please Pharaoh.. You have to save him. You have to win this duel" she said in a way that made Yami feel some compassion for her. He lifted himself letting go of Tea's hand. Ishizu followed.

"You have to understand my Pharaoh… Marik never wanted to be a Tomb Keeper…"

/_Of course… The Tomb Keepers… They were supposed to guard the Millennium Items and the spirit of the Pharaoh… My spirit…_/ Yami came to a revelation.

"Ishizu. I promise. I will do everything in my power to fix this situation… It is my responsibility…"

…

Right at that moment, Tea's eyes fluttered and she suddenly felt her senses coming back. She self-consciously lifted herself in sitting position.

"Uh…"

Yami caught her faint sigh as well as her figure, moving in an upward position, with the corner of his eye.

"TEA!" he exclaimed, rushing to her and completely abandoning Ishizu. The Egyptian woman just smiled and walked away. She had gotten the promise from the Pharaoh and those two seemed like they needed some privacy.

Tea looked around still dazed.

"What's going on… Why am I here?.." she mumbled and then she turned and faced his fierce amethyst eyes looking at her with so much concern.

"Are you alright?" he asked with his deep voice. A slight pink blush appeared on her face.

"Ye…Yeah… But… I don't remember how I got here…" she said and pressed her index finger against her lips taking a really cute pensive look. Yami couldn't help but half-smile at her sweet image. He was truly relieved that she was safe…

"The last thing I remember was Joey dueling Kaiba…" she said still obviously a little lost. Yami got up and offered his hand at her. She blushed even more…

"Thank you.." she said taking his warm hand and lifting herself.

"Are you sure you're ok?" he asked again.

"Yes I just…" she paused for a minute… Suddenly her eyes widened in a terrified expression. Images of her possession and her near-death experience came to her so abruptly, that she felt her head spinning. She grabbed it with both her hands.

"Ughh!..." Yami got alarmed again. He grabbed her shoulders.

"Tea! Talk to me! What's wrong?" he was really worried now. All those possessions, they were probably affecting her mind. Tea looked at him with watery desperate eyes.

"The… images…. Marik… I couldn't control… my body.." she said almost whispering. Yami grabbed her and hugged her, pressing her head on his chest. His eyes were fiery with anger and a hint of despair. All this was happening to his precious Tea because of him… Because of the grudge Marik had against him… He closed his eyes and sighed deeply feeling her warmth on his chest. It was a position that made his body feel very strange… Heated.

"Shhhh…" he whispered, caressing her hair. " It's over now… I promise… I won't let anything happen to you ever again…" he continued the same way, in a reassuring, but clearly emotional tone of voice.

*_Partner… Why do you think Marik chose Tea?* _

/_I don't know…_./ But the truth was he didn't even want to think about it… He was worried sick, enough as it was.

Tea softly shivered at his hug. She was slightly trembling from the memories, but his warm embrace and his words comforted her… The blushing on her face became red and her heart started beating like a drum, crazy in her chest…

"Yami… thank you…" she whispered. It was always something else for him to hear her call his name.. Or at least his current name… It was a delight, the few times that she acknowledged that his existence was different from that of Yugi's… Her trembling body in his arms made his instinct go crazy… He wanted to protect her… He wanted to keep her away from Marik, or anyone else who might hurt her.. She was so fragile… So… But was he strong enough? It was times like this that he doubted himself… Could he protect his friends and the woman he… cared about so much?

Tea had calmed down a little when he pulled her head slightly away from his chest and cupped her face looking at her. Her eyes were watery and there was a hint of fear and doubt in them. She met his own fierce, emotional look and blinked. His eyes stayed pierced on her. For a split second, they looked at each-other with an 'it's now or never' look and before they knew it, the swooshed at each other, crushing their lips together with such force (since they were both pressing with all their might) that it almost hurt. Yami wrapped his arms tight around her and started moving his palms up and down her back caressing her, but at the same time pulling her closer as well. Tea put her fingers through his hair and grabbed some of it, doing the same thing. After a short session of lip brushing they almost simultaneously opened their mouths and their tongues met in a crazy and delirious dance. Now both their faces were burning like lava as each one of them was almost trying to devour the other. Instinctively, Yami grabbed her waist and lifted her slightly on the air. She was a little taller than him, but he was stronger. Tea responded immediately by wrapping her legs around his waist tightly.

"MMMMFFFMMM!" they both moaned loudly at the increased contact this position offered them. This was a moment when time had stopped. There was nothing else but them on that roof. No duels, no shadow realm, no evil forces threatening the world. Just a boy and a girl, hot for each other. Yami slightly moved from time to time a little as the intensity of the kiss was such that he almost lost his balance carrying her. After some loooong minutes, the need for air finally made them slightly break the kiss but they didn't lose eye-contact. Their eyes were fixed on each other's.

"I thought I'd lost you.." he said breathlessly with his deep husky voice.

"I thought you'd lost me too" she said in a similar way, panting heavily, before she crashed her lips down on his again.. Yami broke that kiss and went for her neck on which, he had good access from that position. Tea threw her head back releasing a whimpering moan as chills went down her body when he sucked on the soft skin of her neck, and went a little lower on her chest which was exposed as the first button of her shirt had magically opened. He gently brushed his tongue over her skin and growled softly. His instincts had completely taken over him…

"Ah!... Ya… Yami! Wha… What are you… doing?..." she uttered between her moans.

*_A…aibou….*_ Yugi interfered reluctantly. In a few minutes he was going to duel Marik in that very arena… People could start coming any minute now… Although Yugi hated to cut in… He had to… Yami suddenly snapped out of his heated trance and pulled back from her chest panting… Tea was startled and leaned forward slightly surprised. Self-consciously she unwrapped her legs as she too was abruptly pulled out of her pleasurable delirium. He held her waist tight and carefully lowered her body until she landed on her feet. Tea buttoned and straightened her shirt awkwardly.

"I apologise Tea…" he said in a low, firm voice.

"Don't…" she almost whispered.

"This is not the right time for this" he continued. "I still have one very important duel… Just one duel…" he said straightening his shirt as well.

"I understand…" she said in a serious tone of voice. She could see the promise between his words. It was concealed, but it was there… After this duel with Marik… Maybe they would see what this was…

"Joey is still dueling Kaiba" he said in a suggestive way. Tea smiled awkwardly pulling some hair behind her ear. Her heart was still racing and she was still very much flushed.

"Yeah… We should go cheer him on..". Yami nodded and they walked to the elevator. All the way down they didn't exchange one word or even look. As soon as they got outside they saw Joey, Tristan and Duke running their way.

"Look who finally decided to show up!" Joey exclaimed, kind of pissed. "It's not cool you guys, walking out on me…"

"Sorry Joey" Yami said. Joey stopped before he finished his phrase. Tea was kind of flushed and embarrassed and Yami was… Well, not like he always was.

"You guys…" he said in an almost singing tone with a devious smirk on his face. Yami widened his eyes.

"Joey, it's not what you think" he said out of nowhere. Thankfully Tristan saved them.

"Well, you just missed Joey getting his butt kicked, so no news there" he said teasingly. Tea answered with a teasing herself and soon everyone but Yami was all over Joey. He looked at them and half-smiled. Even in the darkest of times they were cheerful. And most of all, her.. Their eyes met for a quick glimpse as he looked at her.

/_Soon Tea… Soon_…/

…..

A/N: Gotcha! XD. Another steamy kiss. I didn't intend to at first but it just came natural. They were all alone up there and Tea was in danger and he ran to save her. Perfect situation for some making out XD. Oh I hope I made it up for the wait. This is one looooong kissing scene, again T-rated, borderline. Also I poured in some Marik perversion and some Yugi wisdom. I love how Yugi keeps furious Yami from throwing a penalty game at Marik's face. *-* Also I had Tea remember some part of the possession to increase the drama and give her a reason to fall in Yami's arms X3. I really hope you liked this. I'll try to be quicker but I can't make promises because school is starting next week :/ But omg do this kisses make me happy or what. Thank you for reading and **please review** ^^. Art for this kiss, coming soon ;)

P.S In the proofreading I saw I wrote "when Marik had enslaved her with his rod"… Am I the only one who finds this phrase funny in a dirty way? XDDD


End file.
